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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27375412">Magic Ramblings (Arcana Headcanons)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgan_Morgasson/pseuds/Morgan_Morgasson'>Morgan_Morgasson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Arcana (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allergies, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Shelter, Bad Cooking, Ballroom Dancing, Beaches, Birthday, Birthday Party, Burnout - Freeform, Camping, Circe the cat, Comfort, Coming Out, Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Couch Cuddles, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Day At The Beach, Deal With It, Demon Valerius (The Arcana), Domestic Fluff, Don't do it, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Familiars, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Height Differences, I have too many tags, Light Angst, Love Letters, Lucio is illiterate, Magic Lessons, Magic mishap, Male Pronouns for Asra (The Arcana), Modern AU, Morning Cuddles, Multi, Nicknames, Other, Post-Canon, Romantic Gestures, Sickfic, Snow, Snow Day, Snowball Fight, Stargazing, Stars, Sudden Parenthood, Surprise Party, Unrequited Crush, Walks On The Beach, a little bit of whump and comfort, a little muriel angst, author might have a thing for caretaker tropes, dying is bad for your health, he's just ridiculously foolish, headcanons, i don't know what you're cooking in any of these, i'm allergic to cats but that won't stop me, julian is bad at cooking, just make something up, lucio isn't BAD at magic, milk it for all its worth, muriel is a sweetheart, noncanon, sing Here Comes A Thought to Valerius please, technically, the apprentice turns into a kid, valerius is a tsundere, valerius is being sweet for once, you are a very spoiled little magician, you die, you like butterflies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:53:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27375412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morgan_Morgasson/pseuds/Morgan_Morgasson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Headcanons/scenarios of varying lengths by me! Requesting rules are in the first chapter.</p><p>Request Status: Open</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asra (The Arcana)/Reader, Asra (The Arcana)/You, Julian Devorak/Reader, Julian Devorak/You, Lucio (The Arcana)/Reader, Lucio (The Arcana)/You, Muriel (The Arcana)/Reader, Muriel (The Arcana)/You, Nadia (The Arcana)/Reader, Nadia (The Arcana)/You, Portia Devorak/Reader, Valerius (The Arcana)/Reader, Valerius (The Arcana)/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>367</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>279</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Heyo!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A couple things to note before we start:<br/>- These all take place post-Upright ending, unless otherwise specified.<br/>- Lucio is technically the Count, but it's an honorary title. Nadia and Valerius pretty much do all the ruling. Lucio just plans parties. I got this idea from IAmTheHero, who got it from Flowyen.<br/>- The Apprentice (that's you!) is the court magician. You get paid to read old books and experiment! Technically, you still own (and live in, depending on your LI) the shop, but your relationship with it is complicated now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Queue:</p><p>Musical MC (allyfey) (2/??)</p><hr/><p>Hello, and welcome to the fever dream that is my imagination! Let's get right into the request rules, shall we?</p><p> </p><p>I generally only write for the main six plus Valerius. You can request different characters if you want, but I might turn you down.</p><p>I don't do citrus. Fluff, angst, platonic, whump, sure, but no smut. I will not budge on this.</p><p>I reserve the right to deny any requests if it makes me uncomfortable. If I deny you, I'll let you make a different request.</p><hr/><p>Now that we have the rules out of the way...hit me up!!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. You Turn Into A Kid (Main Six)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Your magic goes wrong, and you get turned into a kid. How does everyone react??</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asra</p><ul>
<li>You were working on translating a shrinking spell with Asra. You mispronounced a word and went flying back in a cloud of smoke. Once Asra stopped coughing, he found you slumped against the wall, practically swimming in your clothes.</li>
<li>On one hand, he’s freaking out because you’re somehow a little kid, this was NOT supposed to happen. On the other hand, dear Arcana, you were adorable as a kid</li>
<li>Your little eyes popped open. Your look of confusion 1-hit KOed him.</li>
<li>It doesn’t take long for him to figure out that you’re actually a kid, not yourself in a kid’s body. You didn’t recognize him. You seemed to recognize the shop, but you kept calling it your auntie’s shop. Well, that was better than nothing, at least.</li>
<li>He scrambled to find an antidote, with you at his heels the entire time, overflowing with questions. He answers everything with the patience of a saint.</li>
<li>You nearly gave him a heart attack when you went downstairs while he was distracted. He swears his heart actually stopped when he heard the door open. It’s just Salim and Aisha dropping by. But he’d be surprised if he wasn’t hurt from how fast he <strike>fell</strike> ran down the stairs.</li>
<li>With his parents’ help, the spell was reversed pretty quickly. You had an awful headache once you turned back...and now that everything was okay, Asra couldn’t help but tease you.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Nadia</p><ul>
<li>Nadia knew that allowing you a room to use as a laboratory went against her better judgement, but she couldn’t bring herself to say no to you. You were the Court Magician now, after all, so having your own space to practice magic wasn’t exactly unprecedented. But she worried that something would happen to you and she wouldn’t know until she came to check on you.</li>
<li>Her fears weren’t exactly unfounded. She went to check on you one day, but instead of finding her darling magician, she found a child that looked just like you. And a yellow potion splattered all over the floor and walls. Your child self was examining the magical ingredients lining the shelves, you fine shirt now a dress on your tiny body.</li>
<li>Nadia found herself debating whether or not to immediately bring you to Asra. That was obviously the right thing to do, of course, but...well, you’re an absolutely precious, lively child, and surely nobody would blame her for spoiling you a little first.</li>
<li>She compromised by going to the market with you before consulting Asra. Look, it wasn’t her fault that you were hungry, or that she “wasn’t looking” when Selasi, the baker, slipped you a sticky bun. And that scarf she bought looked just darling wrapped around your shoulders, how could anyone resist?</li>
<li>In the end, Asra managed to reverse the transformation. Nadia kept a closer eye on you for a while after that. Yes, this last mishap was harmless, but she can’t risk something worse happening next time.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Julian</p><ul>
<li>This is one accident he can’t take the blame for. It was entirely Malak’s fault. Well...okay, so maybe Julian had sent Malak to check on you. Malak still shouldn’t have squawked while you were working on a new healing spell. Pesky raven should have known better.</li>
<li>Julian didn’t find out until he closed the clinic for the day. You were playing with Malak in the shop. It looked like you were trying to cook something...but it certainly wasn’t anything edible.</li>
<li>Julian’s dad mode activated the moment he saw you. He didn’t realize that you didn’t recognize him until you squeaked when he scooped you up to check if you were hurt. You kicked him. It was certainly going to bruise. He explained to you that he was going to help you. It still took a while for you to warm up to him.</li>
<li>Once you did, you started asking questions. “What’s your name? Why are you wearing gloves? Why are you wearing an eyepatch? Is your eye missing? Can I see?” Frankly, it was adorable.</li>
<li>This was obviously magic related, so there was nothing he could do to fix the situation. Instead, he sent Malak to get Asra and focused on keeping you entertained. He told pirate stories, let you try on his eyepatch, and gave you piggyback rides.</li>
<li>There was one accident. While Julian tried to put dinner together (emphasis on tried), you tested out your magic. Let’s just say that while the shop is perfectly fine, you’re going to need a new rug.</li>
<li>Honestly, taking care of you as a kid probably made him want kids. You’ve been warned.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Muriel</p><ul>
<li>Muriel had just finished chopping more firewood when he heard an eardrum-bursting <em>bang</em>. Inanna made it to you before he could. He found her hovering over you as you were sprawled out on the ground. That is, he found a <em>child </em>sprawled out on the ground.</li>
<li>You didn’t seem hurt. That was a relief. But Inanna scared you, even though she was being friendly. You darted to the closest possible shield. That happened to be Muriel.</li>
<li>The poor mountain man didn’t know what to do. You were obviously scared of Inanna, so the first task was sending her back home for now. Then what? He looked down at you as you clung to his cloak. You stared right back up, eyes wide.</li>
<li>In the end, he decided to take you back to the hut. Asra was coming by later, so there was no point in going to the shop.</li>
<li>You were delighted by the chickens. He taught you how to hold them, and let you feed them.</li>
<li>It amazed him how trusting of him you were. You didn’t care that he looked scary or had a gruff voice or lived in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him; you were much the same as an adult, after all.</li>
<li>When Asra came, Muriel was carrying you on his shoulders while you pretended to be flying. It was too cute for the poor magician. It’s said that he still hasn’t recovered.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Portia</p><ul>
<li>The day had been going pretty smoothly so far. You were in the palace gardens, practicing a spell that was supposed to make weeds into sprouts again so that they’d be easier to deal with. Portia was...well, she was <em>supposed</em> to be checking on dinner preparations, but she saw you from a window and stopped to watch. What else was she going to do, <em>not</em> watch the cute magician do magic?</li>
<li>It looked like it was going well, until a bunch of sparks shot up from your hand. You tried to put them out, but it didn’t seem to be working. Dinner preparations could wait. Her magician needed help!</li>
<li>She didn’t know what to expect when she got to you, but it certainly wasn’t this. You were wandering around the little clearing, looking dazed and tripping over too-big clothes. Portia’s heart melted.</li>
<li>She requested the rest of the day off so that she could take care of you. Nadia obliged, of course, and you spent the rest of the day in the cottage. Portia couldn’t get over how adorable you were, especially when you played with Pepi.</li>
<li>You ended up falling asleep right after dinner. You’d had a long afternoon of running around the garden and telling Portia stories. She was fascinated by the stories of your childhood--you didn’t remember them as an adult, but somehow turning you into a child had brought them back.</li>
<li>It was only after Portia tucked you into bed (she’d sleep on the couch that night, it was fine) that she realized she probably should have gotten Asra. Well, she could do that in the morning.</li>
<li>It turned out she didn’t need to. The spell wore off in the middle of the night. You woke up shortly thereafter, very confused and cold without your usual cuddle buddy.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Lucio</p><ul>
<li>You were working on a potion in your lab when Lucio decided he needed cuddles. He didn’t intend to sneak up on you, but you were so focused that it just kind of happened. He hugged you from behind, making you add far too much of the final ingredient. The potion turned a sickly green and exploded all over you.</li>
<li>You immediately started berating him. He should have known better, how could he have been so selfish, the works. You’d just gotten to “You’re acting like a child!” when the potion began to sizzle and smoke. While it was still on you. Lucio could only watch in horror as the smoke quickly enveloped you. </li>
<li>The smoke cleared as quickly as it formed. But you weren’t there. Well, you <em>were</em> there, but you were small! You were a kid! The sound Lucio made was definitely not dignified and something he will never admit he made.</li>
<li>You weren’t particularly upset, which was a small comfort. Instead, you were just curious. You didn’t seem to know who he was, even when he said he was the Count. That stung a little. At least you didn’t find him particularly threatening.</li>
<li>You spent most of the day exploring the palace together, accompanied by the dogs. His knowledge of all the secret passages impressed tiny you. He was definitely going to hold that over your head later.</li>
<li>Asra and his parents were called over that evening. Nadia didn’t trust Lucio’s abilities to look after a kid for very long. After you turned back, Lucio regaled you with exaggerated tales of your adventures that day. You weren’t entirely listening; there was still a potion mess to clean up.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is incredibly self-indulgent and I make no apologies.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Snow Day (Main Six)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It snowed! How do you spend the day?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>It never snows in Vesuvia. Ever. So when the foreign precipitation started, you both suspected there was magic involved. You dove straight into figuring out why it was snowing. Portia had to drag the two of you out of the library, telling you that you needed to enjoy the weather, not work.</span></li>
<li><span>It turned out that you enjoy playing in the snow a lot more than you thought. Especially when the two of you waged a snowball war on Julian. The poor doctor never stood a chance.</span></li>
<li><span>Around noon, you went back to the shop together because Faust was lonely. You almost fell into one of the canals on the way home. Asra’s panic made you wonder; since you share a heart, if he had a heart attack, would you feel it, too? You tried not to think about it too much.</span></li>
<li><span>The afternoon was spent drinking tea and snuggling. Pure bliss</span></li>
<li><span>The mysterious snow was gone when you woke up the next morning. You still have no idea why it snowed, or how it left so suddenly. Researching sudden weather changes was your next project.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>When you woke up to a blanket of snow across the city, you were excited. Nadia, however, was not. It was entirely too cold for her. The first course of action (after a nice, hot breakfast) was to devise a warmth spell for Nadia. You had to refresh it regularly, but that was a small price to pay for comfort.</span></li>
<li><span>You took the day off. You’d been working hard lately and this made for a perfect excuse. Nadia stayed inside or on the veranda for the most part. A countess’s job is never done. There was still paperwork to do, even if there was strange, unnatural snow.</span></li>
<li>
<span>She kept an eye on you, of course. That is, she was almost constantly stealing glances at you, gleefully playing in the snow. It should be </span><em><span>criminal</span></em><span> to be this cute.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You debated whether or not to try to get her to come outside, but decided against it. You didn’t want to force her. Instead, you stomped a heart into the snow, in a place that you knew she would see it. She did, and it was almost too much for her.</span></li>
<li><span>At some point, you launched a massive snowball at a hallway window as Nadia and Valerius were walking by. He jumped and sloshed wine down his robe. It was the perfect revenge.</span></li>
<li><span>That evening, you sat in Nadia’s arms, telling her about your day while you warmed up. She couldn’t get over how adorable you looked, with your cheeks and nose all rosy. Not that she wanted it to snow again, of course.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>On one hand, the snow was thoroughly baffling. On the other hand, it reminded Julian of his childhood and he could hardly wait to head outside.</span></li>
<li><span>You were more skeptical, but he managed to convince you to take the day off. Portia joined you as well. They showed you how to make a snowman, snow angels...anything you can put the word “snow” in front of, you built.</span></li>
<li><span>You made a snow Faust. It was far bigger than the real Faust, and really didn’t look much like Faust at all. You loved it anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>Unlike Julian and Portia, you weren’t built to handle such a drastic change in temperature. You had to turn in early because it was too cold for you. That was fine! You stayed in Portia’s cottage and drank hot chocolate while Julian told you all about winter in Nevivon. Portia corrected him on multiple occasions.</span></li>
<li><span>Julian insisted on extra snuggles that night, claiming it was too cold not to. As if he ever needed an excuse to snuggle.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Muriel’s hut is pretty well insulated, so you had no idea that it had snowed until you left to go to the palace in the morning. You decided you weren’t going to go to the palace after all; the forest was difficult enough to navigate without at least a foot of snow on the ground.</span></li>
<li><span>You and Muriel worked together to bring the chickens into the hut. It was probably okay for them to stay outside, but neither of you wanted to take any chances.</span></li>
<li><span>Last time the two of you encountered snow hadn’t ended well. It was clear that you were both remembering it, but your poor mountain man seemed particularly upset. As much as you didn’t want to leave him to his own devices, you also wanted to make good snow-related memories. So you convinced him to stay outside with you.</span></li>
<li><span>(He wanted to stay inside with the chickens, but he didn’t want you to be alone in the cold, what if something happened?)</span></li>
<li><span>You built a snowman together. It was too tall for you to put a face on by yourself. Muriel picked you up so you could reach. Your heart melted.</span></li>
<li><span>You made an army of smaller snowmen surrounding the big one. The ground around them was basically clear by the time you were done. There were a few casualties courtesy of Inanna.</span></li>
<li><span>At the end of the day, you asked Muriel if he’d enjoyed the day. He didn’t give you a straight answer, but he was smiling to himself when he thought you weren’t looking. That was answer enough.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Once you got past your surprise, you were both pretty excited. Portia hadn’t seen snow in quite some time, and you now had the perfect excuse to test out a greenhouse spell. You didn’t want her garden to suffer from the cold.</span></li>
<li><span>It took you several attempts to cover the garden. Pepi kept messing with the barriers. With a bit of borrowed magic from Portia, you finally got it set in place.</span></li>
<li>
<span>You convinced Nadia to let Portia take some time off. It wasn’t hard. The two of you romped around in the snow for a while before Portia had a brilliant idea. You could grab Julian, go visit Mazelinka, and make it a </span><em><span>proper </span></em><span>Nevivon snow day!</span>
</li>
<li><span>There was no way this could possibly go wrong. You definitely didn’t get your rump handed to you by the Devorak siblings in a snowball fight. Turns out Julian has a decent throwing arm. A quick healing spell got rid of the bruises before Portia noticed.</span></li>
<li><span>Julian insisted on making “Hot Todd”s for everyone. They didn’t pair well with Mazelinka’s soup (if you didn’t drink, then Portia told you), but it’s the thought that counts.</span></li>
<li><span>Before bed, the two of you did a quick check on the garden. It had stayed warm and insulated all day, thanks to your efforts. Portia heaped praises on you for a solid five minutes. You reminded her that she had helped, and thus deserved praise too. She short-circuited.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>It’s a pretty well-known fact that Lucio is not a fan of snow. When he woke up to a blanket of snow over what was supposed to be </span><em><span>sunny </span></em><span>and </span><em><span>warm </span></em><span>Vesuvia, he tried to convince you to go back to bed with him and wait until it went away.</span>
</li>
<li><span>It didn’t work, of course. You still had work to do, and you both knew it. You managed to convince him to let you get up. There was griping.</span></li>
<li><span>You stayed outside most of the day, practicing spellwork for research purposes. Lucio kept close, despite the cold. </span></li>
<li><span>He lent you a spare cape for extra protection against the cold weather. He thought it looked great on you. You weren’t as convinced.</span></li>
<li><span>You didn’t end up making much progress on your work that day. You tried, but ended up getting sucked in to trying to catch the dogs after they got out of the palace. It snowballed from there (pun absolutely intended)</span></li>
<li><span>Nadia eventually found you in the process of destroying a snow Devil. She got a good chuckle out of it.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you went inside, he insisted on snuggling under twice as many blankets as usual. It was very warm and very nice.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There was going to be more angst in Lucio's...but I couldn't do that to him</p><p>Fun fact: I debated adding Valerius to this one. I ended up not doing that after mapping out his thought process: Vesuvia is not supposed to be cold, therefore the presence of snow must be because of magic, and I have had enough weird magic for one life. He'd probably take refuge in his wine cellar and refuse to leave.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Combating Burnout (Main Six)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As the court magician, you have a lot of work on your plate. What happens when you bite off more than you can chew?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>He’ll recognize when you’ve hit your limit, often before you’re willing to admit you’re straining yourself. Once he notices, he’ll urge you to take a break.</span></li>
<li><span>If you’re being particularly stubborn about continuing to work, he’ll respect that...but he’ll keep a careful eye on you. He’s always worried about you, and even more so when you aren’t taking proper care of yourself.</span></li>
<li><span>When you eventually <strike>submit yourself to his will</strike> surrender and let him take care of you, prepare to be spoiled.</span></li>
<li><span>I’m talking comfort food, extra cuddles, long walks on the beach--anything you want, as long as it helps you feel better.</span></li>
<li><span>He won’t relent until you’re absolutely ready to go back to work. Just don’t dive headfirst into your workload; take it slow for a bit.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Self-care breaks are something Nadia has experience in. Her frequent headaches make it difficult to work, so she’s skilled at knowing when and how to take care of herself. You definitely benefit from her experience.</span></li>
<li><span>She’s as good as Asra at noticing when you’re stressed. Expect her to visit your lab and whisk you away.</span></li>
<li><span>Chances are, whenever you need a break, she needs one too, so it works out favorably for both of you.</span></li>
<li><span>Anything you need, just ask and it shall be so. Pumpkin bread? She’ll have Selasi hand-deliver some. A long afternoon nap? She’ll cancel her meetings and join you to make sure you’re comfortable.</span></li>
<li><span>She’ll probably make you promise to pace yourself when you’re ready to go back to work. Agree and follow through, for your own sanity.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Overworked magician? Not on his watch!</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll literally haul you away from your work and tuck you into bed. Resistance is futile.</span></li>
<li><span>Seriously though, he’ll keep you off your feet as much as possible. No magic or paperwork for a while, either, doctor’s orders.</span></li>
<li><span>More likely than not, he’ll ask Mazelinka to make a batch of her amazing soup for you. You’ll need to ask her for her list of magical components one of these days so you can experiment with them.</span></li>
<li><span>If you’re still not feeling better after bed rest and Maz’s soup, then he’ll need to resort to drastic measures. Cuddles and pirate stories it is.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you’re feeling better, make sure to take care of him, too. He works just as hard as you do.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Honestly, Muriel probably won’t notice that you’re pushing yourself at first. It’s not that he isn’t always worried about you (because he is), but since you’re at the palace so often, usually without him, he doesn’t exactly have a gauge for how much or how hard you work.</span></li>
<li><span>Once he figures it out, it takes him some time to figure out how to help. Court life and your kind of magic are hopelessly foreign to him. Give him time.</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll probably make some excuse for you to stay home. Something like how he needs extra help with his usual household tasks. He’ll keep you close while he works. He won’t let you help. Just keep him company and enjoy the view.</span></li>
<li><span>A long walk with him is to be expected. Or, if you aren’t up for that, a nap is definitely in order.</span></li>
<li><span>Honestly, even if you aren’t particularly tired, taking a nap with your mountain man is always a good idea. He’s warm and solid and wonderful to snuggle. He also lowkey likes having you in his arms, so snuggles are inevitable.</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll let you go back to work once you’re feeling better. He’ll probably send Inanna with you to keep an eye on you.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Portia’s quick to haul you away at the first sign of stress. No wonderful, amazing magician of hers is going to work too hard if she has a say in the matter!</span></li>
<li><span>Resist all you want, she’s not about to budge on this. You need a little rest and relaxation, and she’s happy to make that happen.</span></li>
<li><span>Admittedly, she still has work to do, so she can’t be with you all the time. But she’ll stay with you as much as possible, providing plenty of snuggles and good food.</span></li>
<li><span>Pepi will be assigned to stand guard. Meaning, she’ll meow loudly and fall asleep on you if you try to sneak in some work. She takes her job seriously.</span></li>
<li><span>Since you both work in the palace, checking on you when you’re feeling better is pretty easy. She loves visiting you while you’re working, get used to it.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Here’s the thing. Lucio has pretty much mastered the whole “taking a long break from working” thing. He also takes responsibility for your well-being--needs to be your hero and all that, right? So making sure you avoid burning out is right up his alley.</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll pull you away from whatever you’re doing, whether or not you seem stressed about it. You can finish it later, but right now it’s time to go get pumpkin bread.</span></li>
<li><span>Honestly, he loves pampering you anyway, so he’ll jump at any chance he gets. He’s just as bad as Nadia, if not worse, when it comes to spoiling you.</span></li>
<li><span>If you don’t want to be up and doing things, that’s fine! Just be prepared for snuggles and dramatic stories instead.</span></li>
<li><span>You might not have an easy time convincing him that you’re okay to work again, though. He’s probably gotten used to having a hotshot magician all to himself. Negotiations may be necessary.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Back to what I hope will be my usual schedule (every other day, starting from Nov. 3)! I updated yesterday because my laptop crapped itself on Wednesday and wouldn't connect to the internet. It fixed itself overnight and I have no idea what happened.</p><p>Muriel might be a little out of character...I had a little bit of writer's block when it came to his bit. Lucio might be a bit OOC as well because I am a goat simp and have read into his character arc far too much</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Grudging Romance (Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Consul Valerius had never cared much for magicians...until now.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ul>
<li>There was something about you that intrigued him the first time you met. You unabashedly spoke to him in a casual, if sometimes disdainful manner; a way no one had really spoken to him before. You seemed to be his opposite in many ways; passionate and fiery where he was calm and collected.</li>
<li>And you know what they say; opposites attract.</li>
<li>It started out as “coincidentally” being near you during your investigation efforts. He might not have approved of it (as far as he was concerned, Devorak was guilty and there was no disproving it), but he <em>was</em> curious to see how it played out.</li>
<li>He would be in the library, browsing books, while you were going through Julian’s desk. You’d be pacing in the gardens, talking to yourself and surrounded by floating diagrams made of light, and he’d be doing paperwork on the veranda.</li>
<li>Any way to be close to you without raising suspicion.</li>
<li>(You realized what he was doing after the first few times, of course. Even though you were busy, you definitely noticed him around. It was a little weird at first, but you got used to it.)</li>
<li>One day, you presented Nadia with every scrap of evidence you had in Julian’s favor. Valerius found himself enamored with the way you came to your conclusion. Your determination and confidence almost swayed him.</li>
<li>Almost.</li>
<li>Once you’d finished, he shook your hand. Having your hand clasped in his own felt far better than he wished to admit.</li>
<li>He wasn’t surprised when the execution was cancelled. Disappointed in Nadia, yes, but not surprised. You seemed so thrilled to have come out on top. Seeing you reveling in your triumph gave him a strange feeling in his chest.</li>
<li>The Masquerade soon followed. He wanted to keep to himself, content to do as little socializing as he could get away with (and drink as much wine as possible). You, apparently, had other plans.</li>
<li>You asked him to dance and were pulling him away before he could refuse.</li>
<li>Dancing with you was...pleasant. He guided you through unfamiliar steps during a slow song, and you led him during a faster, more energetic song. It was surprisingly enjoyable.</li>
<li>But all good things must come to an end.</li>
<li>When the Masquerade started becoming Hell, you only panicked a little bit. Relatively speaking, anyway. He was far more shaken up than you were. This was not what was supposed to happen.</li>
<li>When the palace started literally coming apart, your quick thinking saved his sorry behind. It was unbearably attractive. (You saving him, I mean. Though I don't doubt that he has a nice posterior.)</li>
<li>When you, Nadia, and the magician Asra determined that the Devil--the <em>Devil</em>!--needed to be bound and defeated, you turned to him for support. Not to ask him to help you, really. Just for a vote of confidence.</li>
<li>Why you went to <em>him</em> is a mystery he doubts he will ever solve.</li>
<li>You admitted to him that you were scared. So you had that in common. It was strangely comforting to know that you were scared, despite the brave front you put on. (Such a front was a good trait. You’d be an acceptable leader one day, should the need arise. Perhaps at his side…?)</li>
<li>He has never been a particularly emotional person, so comforting you was endearingly awkward. Your amusement at his stumbling only made it worse.</li>
<li>Then you kissed him. Any train of thought he might have had was tossed out of his mind.</li>
<li>He added this moment to the list of ways you’ve baffled him. He had a feeling that the list was far from complete.</li>
<li>When a strange compulsion called the wayward pawn back to the Devil’s side, yours was the first name he called as his mind fought against his limbs. When your efforts to follow appeared to be in vain, and you shouted empty words of comfort, his heart hurt.</li>
<li>When the Devil gloated over his victory, Valerius held to the hope that you would succeed against him. How fitting, that the person he had initially looked down on should be the one he turned to for salvation.</li>
<li>Days passed. That is, he <em>assumed</em> it was days. In the Devil’s world, time seemed to move differently. He clung to the hope that you would arrive and...and save him. Not just from his imprisonment. He knew what he had become, over the last three years. He wasn’t entirely human anymore. He wanted <em>out</em> of these deals. Needed to be in control of himself again. No one else would do it for him. You were his only hope.</li>
<li>When you arrived in the palace, empowered by the magic in the air, power crackling at your fingertips, his heart skipped a beat. Maybe multiple. He didn’t care that Nadia or Asra were there--all that mattered is that <em>you</em> were there. You’d come for him.</li>
<li>You were understandably startled when you saw him, stumbling out of a partially ruined hallway. Then you were relieved. No, he wasn’t hurt. Yes, he’d been as safe as he could be, under the circumstances. Yes, he wanted you to help him. You sent Nadia and Asra ahead so the both of you could have some privacy.</li>
<li>The first few moments after you nullified three years’ worth of deals felt surreal. He felt more like himself than he had in far too long. The delight in your eyes was more than he could bear. He initiated the kiss this time. It was time to own up to how he felt.</li>
<li>His confession was not flowery. It was not emotional or drawn-out. It was a simple statement of fact, spoken plainly as you held each other. Somehow, you had won his heart without knowing and without trying. And more surprisingly, his feelings were reciprocated. As stern and cold as he was, you had somehow come to love him.</li>
<li>The next bit was something of a blur. You confronted and bound the Devil. He doesn’t recall the details; his head was spinning too fast. The magical and temporal realms divided again. There was still work to do. Restoring order would not be an easy task, but you would work on it...together. (Well, together with Nadia.)</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>"<em>How in blazes did you get me to love you? If you're trying to make a new man of me, it's...working.</em>"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know what this was originally supposed to be...but it turned into a recap of a nonexistent Valerius route, from his POV. I regret nothing. Writing this made Valerius grow on me, to be completely honest. He might become another main. We'll see.</p><p>The quote at the end is from Fire Emblem: Awakening and isn't supposed to be part of the confession bit. It fits his character, so I added it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Long-Lost Love (The Courtiers)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>AU where the Apprentice is a reincarnated version of someone each of the demon Courtiers knew and were close to when they were human. Alas, this new version of you does not feel the same way you did before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vlastomil</p><ul>
<li>Vlastomil was stunned to see you again. Shocked, astounded, downright <em>overcome</em> with bewilderment!</li>
<li>You see, he had known you, back when he was human. He’d been a renowned wormologist then, and you a lively practitioner of magic with a fondness for butterflies. You’d been studying the (inferior) creatures when the two of you met the first time. His mannerisms and love of worms had made you laugh. Oddly, he didn’t mind it from you.</li>
<li>While others not in his field thought him odd and eccentric (not to say he <em>wasn’t</em>), you had humored him. He even took a slight interest in the butterflies you liked so much. Whatever relationship you’d had was never particularly serious. Then you’d perished after losing control of your own magic. He never <em>forgot</em>, really, but you were no longer at the forefront of his mind.</li>
<li>But there you were again! And alas, you did not recall him. A tragedy of the greatest sort! But it was only a temporary setback.</li>
<li>Needless to say, he was <em>very</em> eager to be in your company. He invited you to his estate frequently. He was more than excited to show you all of his dear children. To his delight, you seemed to enjoy the butterfly room.</li>
<li>As it happened, you still liked the same foods as before! What luck! Gifts of all sorts were a daily occurrence, after Countess Nadia forbad him from issuing any more invitations.</li>
<li>Whether or not you liked him again mattered little to him. Though he was certainly jealous when your affections turned toward another.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Vulgora</p><ul>
<li>Vulgora was <em>thrilled </em>to see you again. They knew their partner in crime wouldn’t just up and die! Of course you’d be back, as good as ever! Even if it had been decades.</li>
<li>You’d been sparring partners and drinking buddies once, ages ago. Your magic and their combat prowess were an ideal pair. No one could defeat the both of you! Once you were done training for the day, you’d hit the local tavern together. (You’d inevitably have to drag them away from a bar fight.)</li>
<li>You had died after your first <em>real </em>battle. You didn’t even have the guts to take down an enemy or three with you! Instead, a stupid injury had gotten infected, and no healer could fix it by the time you found out.</li>
<li>But you were back! Now you could make up for lost time! So what if you didn’t remember them? They’d <em>make</em> you remember!</li>
<li>They followed you around like a temperamental dog, snapping and challenging anyone who dared speak ill of you. Listen, Valerius <em>deserved</em> to be put in his place, okay?</li>
<li>They refused to leave you alone, no matter how many times you asked. Whenever you seemed to have a free moment, they challenged you to a duel. You humored them at first, but after needing to tend to far too many wounds, you stopped. Then they nagged you to join them for a drink. Unlike a duel, this suggestion was turned down immediately.</li>
<li>They had a tantrum of epic proportions upon figuring out that you no longer felt the same way.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Volta</p><ul>
<li>When Volta saw you in the palace, she nearly cried. Once again, here was the kind magician who once so generously provided her with as much food as you could! Oh, how she’d missed you!</li>
<li>She had met you shortly after making her deal with the Devil. She had still been oh so very hungry, and you had felt sorry for her. As you were a fairly prosperous magician, it was well within your means to help. So you did. You had provided her with plenty of food, asking nothing in return! Volta loved you for it. You were also cute, which helped.</li>
<li>You had been very, very sick the last time she saw you alive. She had stepped out of your home to find someone to cure her dear magician, but by the time she came back with a doctor, you were dead! She cried for a week.</li>
<li>Oh, but now you were alive again! What a wonderful turn of events! She was practically glued to your leg. You swiftly became the one person she actually offered to <em>share</em> snacks with. Investigating a murder was hungry work, so you rarely turned her down.</li>
<li>It was clear that you didn’t remember her. How tragic! But you didn’t seem to mind her, either. In fact, you appeared to like her! Even though it wasn’t the same as before, having any form of relationship was good enough for her.</li>
<li>Admittedly, she cried when she saw you with someone else. But she’s accepted it now.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Valdemar</p><ul>
<li>So this is where you had gone. Somehow, you had managed to return from the dead, not once, but twice now. How very intriguing.</li>
<li>They had known you, once. When they were mortal. You had studied under the same teachers, all that time ago. Most people found them unsettling, and not without good reason; even then, they were not to be trifled with. You were one of the very few people that they got along with. That they specifically liked.</li>
<li>Your first death had not been a particularly tragic event. You had lived well until then, and your passing was an unfortunate accident. They had not been consumed with grief; such was not their way. They instead picked up your work where you left off. It would be a shame to leave it unfinished.</li>
<li>Seeing you again sparked their curiosity. Your soul was now residing in its third body. How did that affect you, if at all?</li>
<li>Unlike the other three, they were not constantly at your side. Human interaction had never really been their forte. Instead, they observed you from a distance. Perhaps the distance was shorter than you would have liked. That was irrelevant.</li>
<li>They were not particularly surprised when your affections were turned toward another human. It was only natural, and removed any unnecessary lingering attachment from their research.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I saw this on Tumblr once and couldn't find it again, so I decided to take a stab at it.</p><p>Not my best work, if I'm being honest, but not *awful*, really. Worm King is kind of OOC. Otherwise, I think I got the voices down decently well.<br/>Anyway, enjoy a buffer chapter! Better quality (and lots of fluff) to come.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Your Familiar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Most magicians have a familiar. This one is yours!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Circe</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Your familiar, Circe (pronounced SUR-see, like it or not), is a silver Egyptian Mau cat. She’s named after an ancient sorceress.</span></li>
<li><span>(I know Egypt doesn’t exist in this universe. I only use the term for ease of Googling.)</span></li>
<li><span>You met her when she was still fairly small, finding her near your shop shortly after defeating the Devil. She wasn’t looking particularly healthy, so you took her in and nursed her back to health. She wasn’t eager to leave after she was better, and to be honest, you weren’t really excited to see her go. So you kept her. The bond formed quickly.</span></li>
<li><span>Circe is particularly energetic and intelligent, even for a cat and familiar. With you, she’s an absolute sweetheart, though she’s shy around people that aren’t you or your partner. Her favorite activity is riding around on your shoulders.</span></li>
<li><span>If you live at the shop, she treats it like her personal playground, constantly darting around and getting into mischief.</span></li>
<li><span>If you live at the palace, she generally shadows you, though she isn’t above playing with the other familiars when given the chance.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asra and Faust</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Circe liked Asra from the start, as he helped you heal her. He gives the best scritches, and is a warm spot to nap on. She’s pinned him to wherever he was sitting on numerous occasions.</span></li>
<li><span>Faust was another matter. Maus are known for enjoying play-hunting, and sometimes cats hunt snakes. You had to pry Circe off of Faust multiple times while they were getting used to each other.</span></li>
<li><span>Luckily, they started getting along after a little while. They play together frequently now. Their favorite game is tag. It’s still kind of weird to see the purple snake chasing around the much larger cat.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia and Chandra</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Nadia and Circe’s relationship was a little slower in the making. Nadia supported you in your rehabilitation efforts, of course, but she wasn’t particularly involved with it. Though she </span><em><span>was</span></em><span> the one to suggest Circe’s name.</span>
</li>
<li><span>One night, while you were working late, Circe went to Nadia for snuggles, since you weren’t providing them. Nadia has been a doting cat mom ever since.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Chandra wasn’t particularly fond of the energetic cat for quite some time. Circe likes to swat at her, and the owl found that </span><em><span>highly </span></em><span>offensive.</span>
</li>
<li><span>However, Chandra recognizes how important Circe is to you, so she’s learned to mostly ignore the cat. She does watch over Circe while the latter “hunts” fallen leaves in the garden.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian and Malak</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Julian loved Circe right off the bat. Considering how much he loves Pepi, you weren’t particularly surprised. He spoils her rotten. You’ve had to intervene.</span></li>
<li><span>You knew Circe was feeling better when, upon meeting Malak, she pounced on him and pinned the poor, indignant raven to the ground. You made a point to stop such behavior in the future.</span></li>
<li><span>Nowadays, though, the pair are partners in crime. If you ever hear an unexpected crash from the living area above the shop, it’s probably just the two of them getting into trouble. There have been far too many messes you’ve had to clean up after them.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel and Inanna</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>It’s no surprise that Muriel and Circe get along well, considering that animals love him. He showed you the best ways to help Circe when she was small and sick. You can never thank him enough for it. (He insists that you don’t have to thank him. It’s one of the few things you don’t agree on.)</span></li>
<li><span>You weren’t sure if Circe and Inanna would get along. Apparently, you had little to worry about. The two of them play together often. You’re pretty sure Inanna has been teaching Circe how to hunt properly.</span></li>
<li><span>One day, you came home from the palace to find the three of them dozing in front of the fire. It was too cute for you.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia and Pepi</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>When you brought home a sick little cat, Portia let out an actual “squee”. She was </span><em><span>thrilled</span></em><span> to have another cat around. Having been a cat parent longer than you had, she guided you along your newfound parental journey.</span>
</li>
<li><span>She dotes on Circe just as much as Julian, but she’s more responsible with giving out treats. Instead of handing out treats, she snuggles the heck out of Circe.</span></li>
<li><span>Pepi accepted Circe as one of her own pretty quickly. They’re essentially sisters now. They like playing in the garden together, and Pepi keeps Circe out of any serious trouble.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio, Mercedes, and Melchior</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Lucio loved Circe when you first brought her home. The feeling...isn’t </span><em><span>exactly</span></em><span> mutual. She likes him, sure, but not as much as she likes you. He’s her “Plan B” parent; the fallback when you’re unavailable.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Oddly enough, she gets along particularly well with the dogs. Maybe it was the shared hunting instincts. Whatever brought them together, you certainly aren’t complaining. (Lucio thinks it’s the second cutest thing when the three of them all run around together in the garden. The first cutest thing is you, of course.)</span></li>
<li><span>Circe does seem to have a bit of a better-than-thou complex when it comes to the dogs. She specifically doesn’t participate in their messier play, instead watching and telling you how lowly it is, to roll around in the dirt. You try not to encourage it.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>When you brought home a wild cat you found on the street, Valerius was less than thrilled. Clearly, you hadn’t thought about the </span><em><span>diseases</span></em><span> a wild animal could carry, or the behaviors a wild cat could have. He didn’t push the issue, but he wasn’t happy about it either.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Circe likes him, but she also likes to playfully annoy him. Following him around the estate, swatting at his braid when it falls from his shoulders, sitting on his desk right as he’s about to set down paperwork. She knows what she’s doing, and has told you as much.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s gotten used to having her around now. He pretends to not particularly like her, but you’ve caught him idly petting her or talking to her when he thinks you aren’t looking. It’s sweet.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had no plans of giving the Apprentice a familiar in this. Then I had a stroke of inspiration and had to write it down.</p><p>Not a ton of diversity among the LIs relationships with Circe, oopsie.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Magic Lessons (Lucio, Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What happens when you try to teach people with no experience in magic?</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucio</p><ul>
<li>You’d just concluded a meeting discussing some magic legislation. Lucio had sat through it because he “had to” or something (that’s what you told him, anyway. You’d really just needed the moral support). He hadn’t understood a thing.</li>
<li>So he had a brilliant idea! You could teach him some magic! You said anyone could learn to do magic, so it couldn’t be <em>that</em> hard, right?</li>
<li>He was wrong.</li>
<li>It started out okay. You brought him out to the garden to practice, since you didn’t trust him to keep your lab intact. Helping him figure out how to access his magic was tricky. What ended up working was holding his hands and finding his magic yourself, while being careful to not accidentally use the magic in his alchemical arm.</li>
<li>He got incredibly excited when, with your guidance, he produced a small orb of light. It was the exact color of your eyes.</li>
<li>You told him, very specifically, to not try more magic than that without you. To his credit, he <em>did</em> follow that instruction...for about a day.</li>
<li>Then he remembered that there was an event coming up. A festival to celebrate some special, rare magic thing. You’d been excited when you mentioned it, so obviously it was important to you. He had another “brilliant” idea. As part of the festival, he’d make one of the fountains produce your favorite drink instead of water!</li>
<li>So he started practicing. And by practicing, I mean he tried, right then and there, to magically turn a whole fountain’s worth of water into an entirely different liquid.</li>
<li>You didn’t find out for a surprisingly long time, and it wasn’t from Lucio. Even if you aren’t particularly aggressive when you’re angry, he still hates it when your wrath is turned on him. So he adamantly stayed in the garden, pretending nothing was wrong.</li>
<li>Instead, you learned of the accident when Portia came into your lab, looking frazzled. She told you that one of the fountains outside had suddenly started spewing something bright red and that no one wanted to come close to it and could you please fix it?</li>
<li>You had a feeling that you knew who the culprit was, and seeing Lucio lounging in the garden with the dogs, trying too hard to seem relaxed, confirmed it.</li>
<li>Fixing the fountain wasn’t too hard. You were actually mildly impressed, not that you’d admit it out loud. Changing the color of that much moving water wasn’t a simple feat. But he’d still deliberately gone against your wishes.</li>
<li>He tried to talk and flirt his way out of whatever consequences he might have had to face. Old habits die hard. When that didn’t work, he promised that it wouldn’t happen again. You weren’t entirely convinced, but let it go. This time. There were more important things to worry about.</li>
<li>That evening, he asked you to show him how to make a ball of light again. He was so proud of himself when he, without your help, shaped it into a little heart. Unfortunately, he’d seriously overexerted himself that day. He basically passed out shortly afterward.</li>
<li>You had to take care of him the next day as he suffered through the effects of overextending his magic. He called it a “magic hangover”, which...was actually pretty accurate. (Circe sat on him for a substantial part of the day. Not a particularly important or relevant fact, but I figured I'd mention it)</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Valerius</p><ul>
<li>Poor Valerius was having a bit of a dilemma. He had no great love for magic or its practitioners, you being the singular exception. However, as Consul, he had to deal with a multitude of things, including legislation regarding magic. How, then, could he come to any solid conclusion without any understanding of the subject?</li>
<li>You were eating lunch in your lab when he entered unannounced (though certainly not unwelcome).</li>
<li>“Teach me magic, witch. This is not a request.”</li>
<li>You nearly choked on whatever you’d chosen to eat that day. Of all people, <em>he</em> wanted to learn magic? Surely, you had misheard. You were speechless when he refused to budge. For a moment, while you were formulating a response, he was actually concerned that you would refuse.</li>
<li>After asking some questions, you figured out why he wanted to learn magic. It didn’t seem quite right to you; dealing with magic legislation was part of why there was a court magician. But if he was actually taking an interest, you weren’t about to stop him.</li>
<li>It was a bit of a struggle to figure out how to explain what he needed to do. How do you teach someone to use a muscle they have never used before?</li>
<li>You decided to show him how to draw and activate simple sigils, since it was a more physical form of magic than channeling emotions into spells. It wasn’t an easy task. You weren’t used to explaining how you did magic; you hadn’t had to actually think about it when you used magic in a long time.</li>
<li>You also forgot to mention that emotions tend to influence magic. When the sudden appearance of fire startled him, the fire got bigger, which fed his panic. Maybe starting with fire wasn’t a great idea. You were quick to put out the flames.</li>
<li>This is where Asra teaching you calming breathing techniques comes in handy. You taught Valerius to use them to clear his mind. Once he got the hang of it, he looked more at peace than you’d ever seen him.</li>
<li>Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take <em>too</em> long for him to be able to consistently use sigils correctly. A half hour of practice for a few days really adds up!</li>
<li>(You debated teaching him a little bit of healing, to help on the surprisingly rare occasion that he was hungover. After trying (and failing miserably) to instruct him on using magic without a sigil as a catalyst, you gave up on that idea. Being able to at least lessen hangovers would probably end up encouraging his alcoholism, anyway.)</li>
<li>Now that he knew a bit of magic, he felt better equipped to deal with laws based around magic. Not that he was an expert, but at least he knew more than before. (And regular practice times meant he could spend that much more time with you.)</li>
<li>You never really regretted teaching him magic, as he rarely used it, and was careful whenever he did.</li>
<li>...Well, there was <em>one </em>time you regretted it.</li>
<li>You woke up far too early one morning, just as his magic reacted to his fight-or-flight from the nightmare he was having. You were glad you had experience putting out magic fires. The bedding needed some repairs, but it'd probably be fine.</li>
<li>He was surprised when you were already up and slightly frazzled when he woke. You didn’t have the heart to tell him what happened, but added controlling sleep-magic to the list of things you needed to teach him.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Valerius's wasn't chaotic enough, so I did Lucio too.</p><p>Don't hesitate to leave requests, my dears! I promise I don't bite~ The worst that can happen is I'll tell you to pick something different.</p><p>Some unrelated art that I promised IAmTheHero: https://knight-engale.tumblr.com/post/634795007201640448/shh-let-him-rest (not a clickable link, unfortunately)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Cooking Lessons (Julian, Muriel, Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You teach your boys how to cook properly, with varying degrees of success.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>It should come as no surprise that Julian is a disaster at cooking. It </span><em><span>should </span></em><span>be simple enough. It’s just mixing ingredients together, right? No different than mixing up a drink, or combining medicinal herbs to improve their potency.</span>
</li>
<li><span>And yet, somehow, he is singularly terrible at it.</span></li>
<li><span>You, on the other hand, aren’t too bad at it. Cooking was one of the first things Asra taught you, and it’s a skill you’ve had ample opportunity to cultivate.</span></li>
<li><span>So you decided to teach him how to cook! There was no way this could possibly go wrong!</span></li>
<li><span>First on your list of things to cook was a traditional comfort food from Nevivon. You’d only had it once, on one of your numerous visits to Mazelinka, but you figured Julian would be a little more familiar with it as opposed to something else. You got the recipe from Maz.</span></li>
<li><span>When Julian came home, he wasn’t exactly expecting to be immediately dragged into dinner making. You were so excited to get started. It was too cute.</span></li>
<li><span>You read the instructions and supervised while he put everything together. It was going really well! Until shortly after he put the pot on the stove. You opened a window because it was getting a touch stuffy, and someone in the street happened to be playing music…. Ever the distractible one, Julian swept you into a dance before you could think twice.</span></li>
<li><span>...The two of you ended up eating at the Rowdy Raven that night. The living area smelled vaguely burnt for the next day or so.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>It’s not that Muriel doesn’t know how to cook. He’s just very utilitarian about it. No “fancy” stuff, just cooked enough so it’s edible. Food is food, why does it matter how it tastes?</span></li>
<li><span>Yeah, you weren’t going to let that keep going. You love Muriel to pieces, but this was one thing you refuse to budge on. You like to cook, anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>Our dear mountain man hates conflict, so he didn’t argue when you took over cooking. Though you did have to assure him that it wasn’t anything personal. He’s still kind of insecure.</span></li>
<li><span>You insisted that he keep you company while you cook. Not so that you could directly teach him better cooking techniques, really, but you know he’s a decently fast learner (not everyone can learn to fight that well with a staff in a matter of weeks!), so he’s bound to pick something up.</span></li>
<li><span>One day, he pointed out something you missed while preparing dinner. Your top-secret plan had worked! You tried not to feel too proud of yourself and invited him to help you out.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Dinner that night was </span><em><span>wonderful</span></em><span>. And, with two sets of hands working on it, it was ready faster, which was definitely a bonus.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You offhandedly mentioned that the secret ingredient in any great dish is love, so his helping you must be why dinner tasted so good.</span></li>
<li><span>He became a blushy mess.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>You really shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that a </span><em><span>nobleman</span></em><span> had no idea how to cook. The subject had just never come up before.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Valerius didn’t really see the point to learning how to cook even a simple meal. He never had any reason to learn; surely he would not suddenly become destitute, living in some ramshackle cottage with little income.</span></li>
<li><span>(Personally, the idea of living with him in your shop wasn’t exactly something you found distasteful.)</span></li>
<li><span>It took some persuading (and a good, solid kick to his pride), but he finally agreed to allow you to teach him a recipe or two. Only to humor you, though, not because he particularly wanted to learn.</span></li>
<li><span>As it happened, a family emergency had called Valerius’s cook away from the estate that day. That “family emergency” may or may not have been you bribing them into allowing the kitchen to be empty that afternoon and evening. You probably could have just ordered them to vacate the kitchen for the day, but this way there was an actual reason for him to learn.</span></li>
<li>
<span>You kept a particularly close eye on him the entire time. You didn’t want to micromanage, but he really had </span><em><span>no clue</span></em><span> what he was doing.</span>
</li>
<li>
<span>Dinner that night (a traditional, if simple Vesuvian meal) turned out alright. Not the best you’d had, certainly not the best </span><em><span>he’d</span></em><span> had, but it was far from the worst.</span>
</li>
<li><span>(Alright, so maybe cooking wasn’t as bad as he expected. Not that he’d admit it. But if you wanted to cook together again in the future, that would be...acceptable.)</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't realize quite how short these were until now. Maybe I should have written for more characters, but the others don't seem particularly terrible at cooking so it'd hardly be a lesson.</p><p>This one is inspired, in part, by my parents, actually! They seem to enjoy cooking together. It's sweet.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Going to the bay (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Who doesn't love an occasional beach date?</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Visiting the beach with Asra is basically a guarantee on a hot day.</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll drag you down to the bay the moment summer officially starts. If crowds bother you, he’ll wait until late afternoon or early evening, but you can always count on a beach date.</span></li>
<li><span>Magic-aided splash fights are required. You will be soaked whether you like it or not.</span></li>
<li><span>He's careful to stay wherever you're comfortable. If you prefer to stay close to the shore, great! If you like going further out to sea, that's great too!</span></li>
<li><span>Keep an eye on him, though. If you aren’t watching carefully enough, there’s a high chance that he’ll find somewhere to take a nap. Don’t let him nap near the water. It happened once and nearly gave you a heart attack when the tide came in.</span></li>
<li><span>9/10 experience, all things considered, provided he doesn't nearly drown.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>To be completely honest, while Nadia is fond of the beach, she isn’t particularly fond of swimming in the ocean proper. Swimming in her personal gate is one thing, but swimming somewhere with unknown sea creatures and odd things brushing against unsuspecting legs? No thank you.</span></li>
<li><span>Instead, she tends to stay on the sand, sunbathing and watching over you while you swim. A spot at her side is always available if you get cold, too.</span></li>
<li><span>Honestly, as long as you’re having fun, she’s pretty content to just watch and chat. Since she’s always so busy, spending any time with you is a real treat, no matter what the activity.</span></li>
<li><span>However, she does enjoy tide pools! She could probably spend hours getting to know the marine life there.</span></li>
<li><span>If you really insist, she might join you in shallow water. If she does, there will probably be some gentle splashing. Not even she can resist.</span></li>
<li><span>7/10. Not the most interesting, but nice nonetheless.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Julian was on the beach a lot growing up, so visiting it with you brings out his inner child.</span></li>
<li><span>You’d better get there early, so that you have time to do everything on his itinerary. Every beach activity you can think of, he’ll want to do. Please humor him; he doesn’t take nearly enough time off, so he definitely needs this.</span></li>
<li><span>Since he’s (most likely) taller than you, he tends to go further out than you do. Maybe if you ask nicely, he’ll let you hold onto him and float alongside him.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He might not be the best at building sand castles, but that will </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> stop him. It’s having fun that counts, not the final result.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Remind him to wear plenty of sunscreen. He needs it.</span></li>
<li><span>8/10, less if he gets sunburned. -2 because he swims out of your reach too much.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Like Nadia, Muriel isn’t exactly big on swimming. Tide pools are nice, though.</span></li>
<li><span>See also: beachcombing. Shells and sea glass are very pretty and he likes them whether or not he cares to admit it. You’ll probably head home with a satchel or pockets stuffed with pretty things to use as accents on his woodworking projects.</span></li>
<li><span>More likely than not, you’ll make plenty of animal friends, because Muriel is an actual Disney princess. (None of these friends will be seagulls, though. Seagulls are evil.)</span></li>
<li><span>A beach visit may be the one time you get to see him expose enough skin for long enough to tan--and he <em>does</em> tan. Please steal his cloak and let him get some sun.</span></li>
<li><span>10/10. Finding pretty things with your partner is always fun.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Portia Devorak: mother of freckles, queen of beaches.</span></li>
<li><span>This baby adores beach dates. You’ll be very busy having fun. Activities may include: splash fights, building sand castles taller than Portia, intentionally getting knocked over by waves, burying you in the sand…</span></li>
<li><span>She loves the beach, and she loves you. Both of those things at the same time? Heaven itself couldn’t be better.</span></li>
<li><span>I mentioned she’s the mother of freckles. I wasn’t lying. Portia + sun = more freckles. There are always more freckles when you come home as opposed to when you got there.</span></li>
<li><span>9.5/10. Being buried means sand gets in unpleasant places, otherwise it’d be 10/10.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<span>According to Lucio, beaches are the pinnacle of creation. He can’t resist them. You need to actively keep him </span><em><span>away</span></em><span> from the shore whenever you’re in the area.</span>
</li>
<li><span>When you finally have some time off, he’ll drag you to the bay. <em>Please</em> make sure he remembers to grab swimsuits this time.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you’re there, any and all beach activities are open game. He’s particularly fond at making sand castles (read: sand sculptures with no structural integrity that collapse quickly).</span></li>
<li><span>He definitely likes swimming. Cannonballs off of nearby docks are common. It only backfired once.</span></li>
<li><span>Occasionally, he’ll find a nice shell or some particularly pretty sea glass. He’ll bring it home and have it made into jewelry for you. He loves giving you things, deal with it.</span></li>
<li><span>6/10. He’s too hyper for his own good, which makes these trips a hassle sometimes.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Despite governing a coastal city-state, Valerius isn’t a huge fan of beaches. That probably has something to do with the fact that he sunburns easily.</span></li>
<li><span>Still, an occasional walk with you along the shore in the evening or early morning, when no one else is around and there’s no threat of sun damage, is surprisingly relaxing. If you want to go into the water, that’s fine, but don’t expect him to join you.</span></li>
<li>
<span>As far as beach attire goes, nothing really changes for him. Wearing anything less than what he’s used to in a place where he could be recognized is </span><em><span>far</span></em><span> outside his comfort zone. Maybe he’ll wear something more simple and casual, if you’re really lucky.</span>
</li>
<li><span>On rare occasion, he’ll sit on the beach instead of walking along the tide, and read. Sometimes to you, if you aren’t busy doing who knows what.</span></li>
<li><span>7/10. He lets decorum get in the way of a perfectly fine (outing) date, but otherwise it’s quite pleasant.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is loosely based on the Baewatch tale, can you tell? I bought it specifically so I could write this better (I have almost zero experience with beaches, having been to the beach exactly twice in my life ever). My coins have yet to completely recover but I have no regrets.</p><p>I meant to have some cute art of my Apprentice to go along with this, but this week has been kind of hectic and I never really got around to it. Maybe later.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. 'Til Death Do We Part...Maybe (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A spell backfires terribly, leaving your body vacant for a few days. The thing is, no one knows it's only temporary.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<span>He knew something was wrong even before Faust and Circe ran (and slithered) up to him in a panic. He didn’t know </span><em><span>how</span></em><span> wrong until he saw you, crumpled by the fountain, unnaturally still.</span>
</li>
<li><span>His first action was to check your breathing and pulse. Nothing.</span></li>
<li>
<span>No. No no </span><em><span>no no no</span></em><span>, not like this, not again, </span><em><span>NO-</span></em>
</li>
<li><span>Nadia had to enlist Muriel’s help to get Asra away from your body. Even with Muriel there, it took another hour to coax him out of the garden and back to Muriel’s hut.</span></li>
<li><span>For days, Asra was mostly despondent. He just shut down. Not again. He couldn’t do this again. Not so soon. Poor Muriel couldn’t comfort him. You weren't coming back this time. He couldn't...couldn't save you. At least, he couldn't think of a way to fix it this time.</span></li>
<li><span>When it came time for the funeral (which Nadia planned by herself), he almost didn’t go. It was only at Aisha and Salim’s insistence, and accompanied by Faust and Circe, that he finally made his way back to the palace.</span></li>
<li><span>He swung by the palace gardens to pick some of your favorite flowers.</span></li>
<li><span>While people were still filing in, he stood by your casket. Even in death, you looked so wonderful. You could have been merely sleeping….</span></li>
<li><span>He cried silently through the entire service. Faust wrapped herself around his shoulders, and Circe sat in his lap. Both tried to console him. Both failed.</span></li>
<li><span>Toward the end of the service, Circe hopped off his lap and darted to the casket, furiously attempting to jump into it. Asra went to pick her up again. Just as he got there, you took a deep, shuddering breath.</span></li>
<li><span>The next few hours included a lot of crying, hugging, and kissing as you explained what happened.</span></li>
<li><span>The two of you took a particularly long vacation shortly thereafter. He needed to keep an eye on you (more for his own sake than yours), and you were overdue for a vacation anyway. Luckily, Nopal is nice this time of year.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>You had told Nadia you were just practicing spellwork in the garden, if she needed you. She’d just gotten out of a meeting, and for the love of all that is holy, she needed you after dealing with the Court.</span></li>
<li><span>For a moment, you looked cute. Like you were simply napping under the old willow. She worried when you didn’t react to her calling out to you. Her heart sank to her stomach when she went to wake you and found your breath stopped and pulse absent.</span></li>
<li><span>Julian was called to the scene immediately. There was nothing he could do. Nadia fell into mourning. She cancelled all previous commitments and began putting together your funeral.</span></li>
<li><span>When she wasn’t planning the funeral, she was writing a eulogy. It was harder than she expected, mostly because nothing she wrote could ever do you justice.</span></li>
<li><span>Valerius had to convince her to not institute a holiday in your honor.</span></li>
<li><span>The whole Satrinava family was invited to your funeral. So was the entire city, of course; Nadia does nothing by halves, especially not the memorial of her most beloved magician.</span></li>
<li><span>She was in the middle of her eulogy (it was a heartfelt speech; even though it had not concluded, there was hardly a dry eye among the attendees) when she heard your muffled voice. For a moment, she was convinced her sleep-deprived mind had made it up.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Then it happened again. You called her name. Your voice was weak and a bit gravelly from disuse, muffled by the fine casket, but it was </span><em><span>your </span></em><span>voice.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Nahara was the one to actually open the casket and help you out; Nadia was too stunned. You were quickly whisked away to the palace.</span></li>
<li><span>After a thorough examination by Nazali and a hearty meal, you explained to Nadia what had happened to you. Nadia was too overwhelmed to say anything when you finished your story. Instead, she simply held you tight. You'd never seen her tremble quite so much before.</span></li>
<li><span>She insisted on you resting for a few days to make sure you were fully recovered. And after that, she kept a particularly close eye on you. You always seem to get in trouble when she isn’t looking, so the obvious solution is to personally watch over you.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>It had been a long day at the clinic. Luckily, Nadia had invited the two of you, plus Asra, to dinner at the palace! And far be it from him to turn down such an invitation.</span></li>
<li><span>His first stop upon his arrival was your lab-office-thing. (After saying hello to Pasha, of course.) He was mentally preparing some dramatic way of greeting you, and was still combing over the fine details when he flung your door open.</span></li>
<li><span>That train of thought came to a screeching halt when he saw you slumped at your desk, with Circe pulling at your clothes. He couldn’t make out the rise and fall of your chest. But maybe you were just breathing slowly enough that he didn’t notice the change. Right?</span></li>
<li><span>Your skin felt cooler than it should be. Not deathly cold, but well below what it should have been. You didn’t have a pulse, and you weren’t breathing...no, no it couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia found him sitting on the floor near your desk, shaking and sobbing. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was wrong, even if he wasn’t exactly coherent.</span></li>
<li><span>The days between your death and funeral were a blur for him. He vaguely recalls the barkeep at the Rowdy Raven kicking him out once or twice. He made it back to the shop, somehow...maybe Pasha and Mazelinka were there? Maybe?</span></li>
<li><span>His mind was still addled during your funeral. When Asra suddenly stopped talking and helped you out of the casket, he thought he’d passed out and started dreaming. When he felt warm hands pull him out of his seat and steady him as you made your way to a guest room, he figured he was hallucinating that Pasha was you. But...when you curled into his side and planted a kiss firmly on his cheek, he had to accept the truth.</span></li>
<li><span>He cried a lot that night. You fell asleep with his face pressed against your collarbone. (He hadn't shaved recently. You didn't mention it; it would only make him feel worse.)</span></li>
<li><span>The next morning, you told him what had happened to you as he gave you a check-up. It was the only medical thing he did for a few days while you both took some much-needed time off.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>It usually didn’t take you this long to collect herbs. Muriel and Inanna went looking for you. You weren’t too far from the hut, actually.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Poor boy’s anxiety kicked into overdrive when he saw you collapsed among the underbrush. Your hand was curled around a strange looking plant that he recognized. It </span><em><span>was</span></em><span> poisonous, but not fatally so. Though he did remember Asra saying something about how it was a component in some spell or other. Maybe you’d tried it?</span>
</li>
<li><span>Whatever had happened, you weren’t exactly alive. His worst fears were realized. First Khamgalai, then Morga, now you had become another person he couldn’t protect.</span></li>
<li><span>He brought your body back to the hut, then braved the city to go get Asra. It took a while, but he somehow managed to tell Asra what happened. Our favorite purple snake gave out lots of squeezes. Muriel slept at the shop that night.</span></li>
<li>
<span>The following day, Asra showed Muriel the spell you’d probably tried to cast. It was meant as a way to access a personal gate in a pinch, but if it went wrong, the caster’s spirit would be forcibly thrown into the magic realm. Your physical body was </span><em><span>technically</span></em><span> dead, but you were nowhere near gone.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Muriel returned to the hut promptly. The next little while was spent making sure your body was safe. Inanna and Circe helped.</span></li>
<li><span>It took days for you to show signs of life again. In all honesty, he was beginning to lose hope. Maybe Asra had been wrong.</span></li>
<li><span>He’d dozed off for just a moment when you sat bolt upright and startled him awake again. He held you for what felt like hours, though it couldn’t have been quite so long. You were <em>back</em>, you were <em>safe</em>....</span></li>
<li><span>You told him all about your visit to the other side. Honestly, it wasn’t super eventful. Khamgalai says hello. Morga says stop moping (and hello, I suppose). </span></li>
<li><span>Admittedly, you felt a little under the weather when you came back. Dying really isn’t good for your health, who knew? Ever the sweetheart, Muriel made sure you were well cared for while you recovered.</span></li>
<li><span>He insisted on going with you whenever you went foraging from then on. You can’t blame him.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Portia had just gotten back to the cottage, fully prepared to surprise you with the gift she’d bought for you in the market. She’d been planning this surprise date for ages, and needless to say, she was a little ball of excitement!</span></li>
<li>
<span>Seeing you slumped over, apparently unconscious, was the </span><em><span>last </span></em><span>thing she expected. And then you weren’t breathing. You weren’t breathing, and you didn’t have a pulse, and </span><em><span>oh no</span></em><span>.</span>
</li>
<li><span>All thoughts of a fun evening together flew out of the window. Portia ran to go get Ilya. He’d be able to help, right? You weren’t actually dead, she was just panicking and not thinking. Right?</span></li>
<li><span>Ilya confirmed that you were dead.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia cried for hours. Pepi and Circe tried to comfort her, with little success. Mazelinka came by at Ilya’s request, and had a bit more success.</span></li>
<li><span>It took some time, but she did manage to pull herself together enough to plan your funeral. Nadia helped. It ended up being a larger event than either of them intended, but that wasn’t exactly surprising, considering that you were the court magician who had saved the world.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia was in tears even before she began your eulogy. The speech itself wouldn’t have been long, had she been able to speak without tripping over her words or crying. If you thought people were crying at your funeral with Nadia, it’s at least five times worse here.</span></li>
<li><span>She didn’t notice at first when you started gasping for breath. Probably because she was, too. You tried to sit up, to little avail; your muscles were stiff and sore. So you called out.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia tearfully snapped at you for interrupting. Her mind hadn’t quite caught up to reality yet. Her venom at having been interrupted startled you into laughter as you tried again to sit up. She recognized your laugh.</span></li>
<li><span>You brought her back to the cottage (as per Nadia’s instruction) and consoled her. She cried into your shoulder and clung to you. At some point, she tried to scold you for scaring her. You promised you’d be more careful in the future.</span></li>
<li><span>She held you to it.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>In all honesty, Lucio didn’t understand what had happened. One moment, you’d been chuckling and rolling your eyes at something he’d said (he can’t remember what anymore), then he’d stepped out to find some cookies because he was hungry, and when he came back an hour later, you were dead on the ground.</span></li>
<li>
<span>No. You weren’t dead. A hotshot, powerful magician like yourself wouldn’t just up and die. You’d just figured out a way to make yourself </span><em><span>seem</span></em><span> dead. At least, that’s what he told himself as he went to get Jules.</span>
</li>
<li><span>When Jules confirmed that you were, in fact, dead, Lucio...well, he didn’t take it well. When being angry didn’t fix anything, he started moping. He definitely cried when he was sure no one was there to catch him in the act.</span></li>
<li><span>The following day, he launched into planning the funeral. You would have the best funeral the city had ever seen. No expense would be spared. It’d be in the Coliseum, and every Vesuvian citizen would be there.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Nadia (and Valerius, to a lesser extent) worked hard to convince him to not have it be quite so extravagant. No, he most certainly would </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> be commissioning a gold statue of you. Or a silver one. No precious metal statues.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Surprisingly enough (for the townspeople, anyway), the speech he gave at the funeral was as heartfelt as it was...rousing, actually. He can’t help it; getting crowds fired up at his events is something he’s good at.</span></li>
<li><span>In fact, he was getting so into it that for a moment, he was annoyed when you suddenly started coughing and spluttering. He was in the zone, okay?</span></li>
<li><span>He couldn’t stay upset long. You were back. You’d defied death again, just like he knew you would! He claimed that he’d never doubted that you would be back.</span></li>
<li><span>You didn’t believe him, especially when he refused to leave your side for days.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Valerius never knew much about magic. Even with your lessons, his knowledge is extremely limited. So when you told him you were working on a spell to access the magic realms, he didn’t think much of it.</span></li>
<li><span>What that could mean didn’t occur to him until he found you collapsed in the garden.</span></li>
<li><span>It didn’t take calling a physician in to convince him that you were dead. You weren’t breathing and had no pulse. That meant you were dead. You were beyond aid, magical or otherwise.</span></li>
<li><span>To his credit, he kept up a remarkably well-put-together front. He was never any more inebriated than usual in public, attended all his meetings, and generally acted as if nothing had changed. The one difference was that he was a bit grouchier than usual.</span></li>
<li>
<span>In private, that façade shattered. You were the one person who actually </span><em><span>loved</span></em><span> the mess of a man that he was. You had seen him at his worst, and had chosen him anyway. You saw the best in him, where no one else had really bothered to know him at all. Losing you crushed him.</span>
</li>
<li><span>(Nadia may or may not have found him crying into a bottle of strong wine once or twice.)</span></li>
<li><span>He and Nadia planned the funeral. It was unlike any funeral he had attended. Just as much a celebration of life as it was mourning your untimely death. It...suited you.</span></li>
<li><span>His eulogy was brief and perhaps not the most engaging, but it was all he could bear to write. He still had a reputation to uphold, and choking up in front of the city’s nobility and your closest friends would not do.</span></li>
<li><span>He had just finished and was turning to sit back down when your eyes fluttered open. For a moment, all he could think through his shock was “I am not drunk enough for this.”</span></li>
<li>
<span>The attendees were promptly dismissed and you were brought back to a palace guest room, accompanied by a physician (</span><em><span>not</span></em><span> Julian, as Valerius still doesn’t particularly like him. Nazali, maybe). He paced and ranted while you were examined. His monologue was mostly harsh scolding, which you didn’t entirely absorb; you were still groggy from what your body told you was a very long, very unsatisfying nap.</span>
</li>
<li><span>(He wasn’t actually angry, despite what it sounded like. Only scared half to death and worried out of his mind.)</span></li>
<li>
<span>For the next few days, while you recovered, he made certain that you were taken care of. No physician could be trusted to do it properly, so he, ah, </span><em><span>deigned</span></em><span> to do it himself, halfheartedly grumbling about inept doctors and magic nonsense. You hardly minded his company. Plus, it's oddly endearing when he fusses over you.</span>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another idea I got from Tumblr. I thought through the mechanics of how the Apprentice could temporarily die WAY too much.</p><p>Anyway, turns out I somehow got more than 1000 hits! That might not REALLY be a lot, but it feels good! Thanks everyone! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Starry Date Night (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How do you make the most out of clear, starry nights?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>It’s not exactly uncommon for Asra to pull you away from whatever you’re doing (yes, even sleeping) to go stargaze. He loves stargazing, and he loves you, so why not have both at once?</span></li>
<li><span>First thing is first, though: warm drinks and soft blankets must be gathered. Nights get chilly, so making sure neither of you get cold is important.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Next, pick a spot to sit. I’m not saying the shop has a platform on the roof specifically for this purpose, but I’m also not saying it </span><em><span>doesn’t</span></em><span>. It was probably Asra’s idea to have it built.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He’ll tell you all about the constellations, all while curling up against you and resting his head on your shoulder. You’ve definitely heard all his ramblings before, but it’s still sweet.</span></li>
<li><span>If you start getting sleepy, he’ll keep your head in his lap and play with your hair. If you’re like me, this doesn’t make your sleepiness any better.</span></li>
<li><span>Both of you probably fall asleep out there.</span></li>
<li><span>Faust is there when you wake up. You don’t know how she got up the ladder, and are mildly scared to find out.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Stargazing nights tend to be one of your go-to ways of helping Nadia relax. On the outside, she remains affectionately amused, but mostly composed. Inside, she is hitting her head against a wall because you are </span><em><span>too darned cute</span></em><span> when you get excited about the stars.</span>
</li>
<li><span>For something that seems spontaneous, you put a surprising amount of thought into it. You set up a little picnic in the garden, complete with delicious desserts and a path of magic lights leading up to it. Nadia’s heart goes squee every time.</span></li>
<li><span>After food has been eaten, you and Nadia swap stories about the constellations. Hers are the stories she was told growing up, and yours are amalgams of the legends Asra has told you over the years.</span></li>
<li><span>Often, you end up with your head squarely in her lap. Her focus is rarely on the stars at this point. Whether or not yours is tends to vary.</span></li>
<li><span>I mentioned that this is one of your methods to get Nadia to relax. Well, it works. She’s usually feeling much better by the time the two of you go to bed.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>As much as you enjoy stargazing, you and Julian are usually too busy to do it together often. When it does happen, it’s a real treat.</span></li>
<li><span>You usually sit out on that theoretical roof platform with some snacks and maybe a drink or two. Julian is far more used to chilly temperatures than you are, so he lets you wear his coat.</span></li>
<li><span>Well, it’s more of a “using his coat as a blanket” situation, but it still counts.</span></li>
<li><span>Surprisingly enough, he’s actually pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the stars. He attributes it to his time as a sailor. He’s told you quite a few things about using them to navigate at night.</span></li>
<li><span>Sometimes, he’ll tell you about the different cultures he’s encountered, and all the legends he’s heard. Some of them are familiar from Asra’s travels, and some aren’t.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s fallen asleep on you before, usually with at least one arm around your shoulders or waist. It would be cute, if it didn’t also force you to stay put for fear of waking the sleep-deprived doctor.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Stargazing, while good for divination, was never something Muriel set much time aside for. Mostly because his sleeping patterns follow the sun; he wakes at sunrise and falls asleep at or shortly after sunset. Stars generally aren’t on his radar, so to speak.</span></li>
<li><span>At first, it worried him that you would stay up, sitting alone outside for the sole purpose of watching the heavens. Then he joined you one night, when he couldn’t sleep. It became a semi-regular event after that.</span></li>
<li><span>It’s usually pretty quiet. Muriel has taken to building a little campfire (for your sake, not his) and whittling beside it while you watch the stars. Every so often he’ll look up to make sure you’re okay, only to blush vividly when you notice and grin at him.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve dozed off out there occasionally. When that happens, he gently carries you inside and cleans up before going to bed. It doesn’t matter if you were only asleep for a few moments, he somehow always seems to notice.</span></li>
<li><span>Honestly, even when you don’t fall asleep, he does most of the clean up. It’s his mess, so it’s his job to clean it up, but I guess you can help if you really want to. He wouldn’t mind the company.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Stargazing is a favored pastime of Portia’s, so she was thrilled when she found out that you enjoy it, too! Unfortunately, you’re both busy enough that you’re usually pretty tired at night, so you don’t get to do it nearly as often as she’d like.</span></li>
<li><span>All that means is that it’s more special when it does happen! Blankets, hot chocolate, a bonfire (using magic to keep it from lighting the garden up), smores, the works.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Portia </span><em><span>adores </span></em><span>hearing the legends Asra’s told you. She’ll rest her head on your shoulder or lap and would probably listen for hours if she could. It’s adorable.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Pepi and Circe usually come out with you. (Sometimes Circe wanders off and brings back...gifts. She’s always so proud of it. Give her pets and scritches for them, even if large, dead bugs aren’t really your thing.)</span></li>
<li><span>Often, Portia falls asleep on you. Her job is pretty exhausting, so it’s not surprising that she’s often tired at the end of the day. That means that cleaning up falls to you, which is perfectly fine.</span></li>
<li><span>(Portia always feels bad that she didn’t help when she wakes up, though.)</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Honestly, he doesn’t really get the appeal of watching the stars. Yeah, they’re pretty, but they’re not very exciting. The city at night is </span><em><span>way</span></em><span> more exciting! But if you </span><em><span>really</span></em><span> want to stargaze, he’ll join you. Mostly because he doesn’t like being lonely.</span>
</li>
<li>
<span>You always seem so intent on the stars. He’s always wondered why. Did they have any special effect on magic? Would they affect </span><em><span>his</span></em><span> magic? The questions hardly stop. Don’t be </span><em><span>too</span></em><span> annoyed by the interruptions; he’s genuinely interested.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Sometimes, he practices magic out there (always under your watchful eye, of course). He once created a miniature version of the Southern Lights right above your heads. You have no idea how. Apparently, your dear Count is still full of surprises. You’re still trying to replicate it, and he hasn’t figured out how to do it again.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve tried to coax some Scourge legends out of him; surely they must have myths about the stars and constellations, right? Ones you'd never heard from Asra? He’s grudgingly told you a few. Unsurprisingly, they involve a lot of heavenly battles.</span></li>
<li><span>Though it’s rare, occasionally you’ll nod off in the gardens if it’s late enough. He usually accidentally wakes you up while carrying you inside, but it’s the thought that counts.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius has some knowledge of astronomy, thanks to his education growing up, but he has little interest in studying the heavens. There are more important things for him to devote his precious time to.</span></li>
<li>
<span>...One of those things happens to be his relationship with you. So, whether he likes it or not, he’ll join you if you ask him to. But </span><em><span>only</span></em><span> if you ask him to.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Usually, he’ll bring a lantern and a book or paperwork and use a bench as a desk while he sits on the ground. Sometimes he’ll take his hair out of its usual braid, since he’ll be going to bed after the two of you go inside, anyway. (It’s absurdly attractive and you’ve told him as much.)</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll give the official names of the constellations if you ask. You’re pretty sure he doesn’t actually know what the “common people” call the formations.</span></li>
<li><span>If you play your cards right, he might let you use his legs as a pillow while you stargaze. If that happens, he may end up combing his fingers through your hair. It’s an idle habit he doesn’t know when he developed.</span></li>
<li><span>You never fall asleep outside, no matter how tired you are. Even if you did, it wouldn’t be for very long; he’d wake you up and send you inside. He loves you, but he isn’t going to carry you. (It’s nothing against you. He just can’t carry anything heavier than a particularly thick book.)</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am a simple woman with simple needs and stargazing fluff is one of them.</p><p>Some artwork of mine, because I promised Long_life_Queen_Creativity: https://knight-engale.tumblr.com/post/635520867002171392/do-you-need-a-hand-mine-is-always-open</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Comfort (Volta, Valdemar, Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone has hard days. Sometimes you need someone to lean on. <br/>Sort of an extension of the first Courtiers chapter, if you squint and ignore the whole "unrequited" bit.</p><p>Requested by pineappleyellowdiamond</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Volta</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Today, the dearest Countess Nadia was holding a meeting with some foreign dignitaries, and the whole court was required to be in attendance. Volta wasn’t particularly happy about it, but she </span><em><span>did</span></em><span> want to support the Countess, so she went. And you would be there too, how wonderful!</span>
</li>
<li><span>The meeting went surprisingly well for a long time! Volta didn’t have to say anything, and you were being as amazing as usual. So calm and composed!</span></li>
<li>
<span>Until one of the diplomats disagreed with something you said. Instead of handling it professionally, they insulted you for not being born nobility! (“Well, of course </span><em><span>you </span></em><span>would think that way, being a commoner and all.”) Volta dropped her snack in shock. How could someone insult her wonderful and amazing magician? You looked angry and hurt, but held your peace.</span>
</li>
<li><span>After the meeting, Volta found you sulking in your office. The rude dignitary was still bothering you. That simply wouldn’t do! She walked over and gave you a big hug. It startled you back into the real world; you had been lost in your thoughts.</span></li>
<li><span>She asked you if you wanted something to eat. She always felt better after eating, so why wouldn’t you? You smiled sadly and shook your head. You needed more than a temporary distraction.</span></li>
<li><span>(Also, Volta’s idea of a snack was far larger than your idea of a snack, and dinnertime wasn’t too far off.)</span></li>
<li><span>Volta pondered what might cheer you up. If you didn’t want a snack (imagine, not wanting a snack!) she wasn’t sure what to do. Then she had a brilliant idea!</span></li>
<li><span>Sometimes, when you were working, she noticed Circe climb up on your lap. You always smiled when the cat did it. How much more would you smile if your dear little Volta did it?</span></li>
<li><span>Suddenly having Volta clamber up onto your lap was...surprising, to say the least. You were used to having her around, of course; she was often glued to your side, perfectly content to munch on her latest snack and watch you work. But rarely was she so forward with physical affection.</span></li>
<li><span>You asked if she was okay. She tremulously explained her reasoning. She couldn’t sit by, not while her most dearest you was sad!</span></li>
<li><span>...That was adorable. Oh stars, that was just too cute.</span></li>
<li><span>You hugged her back, laughing into her shoulder. She didn’t understand why you were laughing (she hadn’t said anything funny, had she?) but you certainly weren’t sad anymore, which was the important thing! If you were happy, she was happy. All is well again!</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valdemar</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>It comes as no great shock that Valdemar isn’t exactly the touchy-feely, empathetic type. They lost that part of their humanity eons ago.</span></li>
<li><span>So while they didn’t particularly enjoy it when you were upset, they rarely did much to comfort you. Such was not their style. More often, they suggested solutions to fix whatever had you worked up.</span></li>
<li><span>Which wasn’t a bad thing, most of the time. And you did honestly appreciate their advice. </span></li>
<li><span>The problem is, sometimes you just wanted to sulk. Valdemar couldn’t understand why. Perhaps holding on to grief was some mortal thing they could no longer comprehend.</span></li>
<li><span>So when you plopped down onto a chair in the medical dungeon, refusing to tell them the reasoning behind your unpleasant mood, they figured this was one of these times where you needed to wallow, not be told how to fix it.</span></li>
<li><span>The problem they noticed as they worked (on what? who knows) was that you weren’t cheering up. You’d been sitting in silence for, oh, about an hour already. Usually you would have made some form of small talk by now.</span></li>
<li><span>They weren’t worried. Worry is not something they feel. They were, however, curious. This behavior was distinctly different from your usual patterns. What had changed, they wondered?</span></li>
<li><span>They asked you, very bluntly, why you were upset. That wasn’t exactly unusual; they usually asked you what was wrong before offering advice, if you didn’t freely tell them what was wrong.</span></li>
<li><span>Your answer wasn’t exactly what they were expecting, however. You admitted you were lonely. Nothing had happened, you were merely lacking for company. How...uniquely human.</span></li>
<li><span>Even after talking about it, you obviously weren’t feeling any better.</span></li>
<li><span>They vaguely recalled that mortals enjoy physical contact. Perhaps this would be a suitable solution?</span></li>
<li><span>To say that the hug was awkward would be an understatement. It was stiff and cold and clinical, if hugs can be clinical. Desperate as you were for any sort of affection, you melted into it just the same.</span></li>
<li><span>That was certainly an unexpected reaction. Interesting.</span></li>
<li><span>You were warm. They hadn’t felt warmth in...oh, how long had it been? Long enough that it was unfamiliar.</span></li>
<li><span>Perhaps these results--your reaction as well as their newfound ability to feel warm--could be replicated, under other circumstances? They would surely need to experiment further.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>It had been a long day for everyone. A </span><em><span>very</span></em><span> unproductive meeting with Firent had gone ridiculously overtime. He’d gone through an entire bottle of wine in that meeting alone, and he’d been drinking slowly.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Everyone in attendance was exhausted, and you especially so; the meeting was being held via magic water portals, and as the Court Magician, making sure the portals stayed open and stable fell to you. Even with a steady supply of snacks and water to keep up your energy, it was obvious that you’d long since reached your limit.</span></li>
<li><span>Needless to say, emotions were already running high. When you overheard a lesser noble make a snide criticism of your hard work and imply that you were weak, it was the last straw for you. You began crying.</span></li>
<li>
<span>(In all honesty, it took Valerius a surprising amount of self-control to not throw his empty glass at the noble. How </span><em><span>dare</span></em><span> they be so brazen?)</span>
</li>
<li><span>He guided you back to his office. He kept a steadying arm firmly around your waist as the two of you walked. For once, he didn’t particularly care how his actions would be perceived. There were more important things to worry about.</span></li>
<li><span>Once in his office, you settled down on a plush couch that he may or may not have had added specifically for when you needed respite from the rest of the palace. You groggily took off your shoes before lying down. The simple action made his chest feel funny.</span></li>
<li><span>He took up position by your head. If the roles were reversed (not that he would ever cry at criticism), you would have held him and spoken sweet nothings. The delicate touches that send his heart racing and gentle words that seemed to fall so naturally from your lips did not come to him as easily. It took him a moment to decide how to comfort you.</span></li>
<li><span>He wiped your tears away with his own handkerchief as you tiredly sobbed into his leg. He held your head in his lap, held your hand in his. Offered you water as the tears began to subside. Whatever made you even a little more comfortable.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you had stopped crying, he offered quiet words of comfort, albeit in the disdainful way he always seemed to speak of the court. The idle musings of the court were no more than musings. You’ve already done so much for Vesuvia, honestly more than he, or any of the court, had ever done. If the court cannot appreciate it, then their admiration is no great loss to you. You are far above their flippancy.</span></li>
<li><span>His perhaps uncharacteristic tenderness did not go unnoticed by you. Tired as you were, you managed to smile up at him before drifting off.</span></li>
<li><span>He didn’t have the heart to wake you so you could sleep in a proper bed.</span></li>
<li><span>(Circe led Asra and Nadia to the office not long after you fell asleep; they’d been looking for the both of you. Valerius sent them away, blushing furiously all the while.)</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope this what you wanted! I didn't do all the courtiers because I couldn't figure out what Vlastomil's and Vulgora's would be like, but 3 out of 5 isn't bad.</p><p>I freely admit that the Valerius one is INCREDIBLY self-indulgent. I wasn't feeling well when I wrote it and just kind of wrote what I wanted to read, even if it was a bit OOC.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Fancy/Romantic Dates (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What would each LI do for a fancy or romantic date?</p><p>Requested by Long_live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Turns out being friends with the Countess has its perks, one of which being that you can simply be in the palace without being summoned there first. Nadia won’t exactly turn you away, and the guards and staff know not to question it. Leave it to Asra to take full advantage of this.</span></li>
<li><span>At least once a month, sometimes more, he’ll get all dressed up and come find you in your lab. If you really need to finish what you’re doing first, he’ll respect that...technically. His presence is a distraction anyway, and his chin on your shoulder and arms around your waist certainly doesn’t help matters.</span></li>
<li><span>As soon as you’re finished, he leads you away to a quiet room that had been a study at some point. Now it was a private dining room, lit by candles and sunset. Dinner is always your favorite food, accompanied by your favorite drink served in wine glasses, regardless of what the drink is. Any drink is automatically fancier in a wine glass.</span></li>
<li><span>Dinner is a slow event. If you’re a fast eater, he makes sure you take your time. There’s absolutely no need to rush. You have all night.</span></li>
<li><span>After dinner is finished (and you’ve waited a suitable amount of time so that you don’t get a cramp in your side), it’s off to the ballroom, where a couple musicians are waiting.</span></li>
<li><span>He’ll dance with you until one of you is completely out of breath. Stolen kisses are inevitable. So long as he’s leading and the dance is fast, you rarely get a chance to return them.</span></li>
<li><span>(Please take the lead at some point, he gets so flustered and it’s adorable.)</span></li>
<li><span>The final stop is up to you. If you need to relax, there are bathing pools at the ready. If you want to take a walk, the gardens are open. If you just want to talk, there’s tea and a table on the veranda. Whatever you want to do is available.</span></li>
<li><span>When you finally go home, all the household chores are already done and the familiars are (usually) asleep. The final touch to an already wonderful evening.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Honestly, every date Nadia plans is fancy, to some extent. She can’t help it; all the resources easily available to her are in the palace, so it’s only natural that things would be fancy. You certainly don’t mind. Some nights are fancier than others, though.</span></li>
<li>
<span>She plans everything well in advance. And I do mean </span><em><span>everything</span></em><span>, right down to your outfit that day. Nothing is left by the wayside.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You eat dinner in small courses over the span of an hour or so. The foods are ones both of you enjoy. If you let her, she’ll feed you bites of dessert. It’s one of her guilty pleasures.</span></li>
<li><span>Dinner is followed by a walk through the garden. She keeps a hand on you at all times. On your lower back, your shoulder, in your hand, it doesn’t really matter.</span></li>
<li><span>You undoubtedly make fun of Lucio’s taste in outdoor artwork at some point.</span></li>
<li><span>She enjoys dancing with you, so that is definitely on the agenda. A modest band plays while she leads you around the ballroom. No spot of ground is left un-danced on. It’s both exhilarating and intimate, the way she knows exactly how you dance and how to take advantage of it. (It reminds you of your first Masquerade together, for better or worse.)</span></li>
<li><span>The night usually ends with a long soak in her personal bathing pool. Fragrances and bubbles are a favored addition. Flower petals aren’t unheard of. It’s simply luxurious.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Julian is pretty good at planning dates. What he isn’t as good at is not overpreparing.</span></li>
<li><span>He spends all afternoon making sure everything is perfect. Asra is enlisted to help decorate the apartment. Pasha, too, if she’s available. </span></li>
<li><span>You won’t be cooking tonight if he can help it, and he still can’t cook, so instead of asking for help (like a sane person), he goes and gathers dinner from various food vendors in the marketplace. The stove salamander keeps everything warm.</span></li>
<li><span>He definitely sends Malak to pick you up. The raven isn’t allowed inside, but the grounds are fair game. He taps incessantly on your window until you pay attention to him. Once you leave, he stays on your shoulder or flies alongside you. Like an avian bodyguard.</span></li>
<li><span>There’s a note on the front door with something incredibly sappy written on it. At least, from what you can actually read, it’s incredibly sappy.</span></li>
<li><span>Upstairs, Julian is waiting, all dressed up. Not quite Masquerade-level dressed up, but far classier than his usual plague doctor attire. (Even so, his shirt is no doubt open.) There are candles in your favorite scent burning. Honestly, the first time you came home to this, your heart nearly stopped.</span></li>
<li><span>He asks you all about your day while you eat. He doesn’t understand half of the magic things you say, but it’s obviously important to you, so he doesn’t mind. Plus, he could listen to your voice for hours and never tire of it.</span></li>
<li><span>As soon as you’re done, he essentially drags you down to the bay and to a small boat that he’s managed to rent for the evening. He rows out a decent distance, and you watch the sun set and the moon rise.</span></li>
<li><span>(He will definitely say something to the effect of “You know what else is beautiful? You.”)</span></li>
<li><span>If you have enough energy, you might go catch a show at the community theater. If you’re too tired, then it’s back home for snuggles and probably some flowery declarations of love. Maybe cheesy quotes from plays.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Fancy? Never heard of her.</span></li>
<li><span>However, the dates that Muriel plans are wonderful in their own right.</span></li>
<li><span>He gets all the household chores done early in the day, so that you don’t have to worry about it. He’ll also make dinner on his own. It’s hot and waiting when you come home.</span></li>
<li><span>This is the one time he’ll get kind of dressed up. And by that I mean he’ll wear that green scarf and maybe a shirt too. Maybe he’ll braid his hair, since you seem to like that.</span></li>
<li><span>You eat dinner outside, in front of a small fire. Lean on him. He loves it.</span></li>
<li><span>After dinner, a long wander is in order. He knows the woods like the back of his hand, so he can navigate it with ease. Just don’t forget to bring a lantern, because it’ll probably get dark.</span></li>
<li><span>You usually end up in the fields just outside the city walls. It’s so peaceful.</span></li>
<li><span>It isn’t uncommon that you cast some simple light spells while you’re out. Sometimes they’re just light shows, other times you recreate Khamgalai’s tapestries. (Muri isn’t always paying attention to the lights, but instead on how you look, illuminated by the floating images.)</span></li>
<li><span>He carries you back home. You protested the first time, but this is one of the few things he’s particularly stubborn about. So you hold the lantern, and he holds you.</span></li>
<li><span>He always, without fail, asks if you had a good time. He’s still kind of insecure about being in a relationship.</span></li>
<li><span>You always, without fail, say yes.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Planning dates is Portia’s specialty! How she came to be so good at it is a mystery never to be solved.</span></li>
<li><span>She makes sure you both have the whole day off. Household needs get done early in the day so that neither of you need to worry about it. Circe and Pepi are left in the care of some of Portia’s palace staff friends.</span></li>
<li>
<span>First stop is a fancy day spa in the Heart District! It’s by appointment only, and </span><em><span>very</span></em><span> exclusive, so a trip there is definitely a rare treat. (You may or may not have spotted Valerius getting his hair touched up.)</span>
</li>
<li><span>Lunch is eaten at a cozy tea house, also in the Heart District. Any sense of being out of place is eased when Portia makes idle chitchat and the rest of the world melts away.</span></li>
<li><span>The afternoon is spent perusing the Floating Market. And the normal market. Even if you don’t buy anything, trying on rich people clothes, admiring jewelry, and generally window shopping is fun!</span></li>
<li>
<span>If you’re up for it, there’s statue gardens to get lost in, too. And you </span><em><span>will</span></em><span> be getting lost, if you go there. You’ve been warned.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Dinner at the Rowdy Raven, where you’ll probably run into Julian. If you’re lucky, he won’t be giving you the Protective Older Brother look. (Which he gives not because he doesn’t trust you. He’s just constantly worried about Portia unless being specifically distracted.)</span></li>
<li><span>The last stop is one of the rich people outdoor theaters, to watch whatever play is being put on that night.</span></li>
<li><span>You walk home under the stars, pick up the cats, and promptly crash.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Every event Lucio has a hand in blurs the line between “fancy” and “extravagant”, and dates are no exception.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He definitely dresses to match you. If you’re a jewelry person (honestly, even if you aren’t) he’ll pick out some for you to wear. It’s usually gold of some sort, regardless of the other colors in your outfit. Gold jewelry is </span><em><span>elegant</span></em><span> and </span><em><span>regal</span></em><span>, no matter what Morga says, and you’re elegant and regal, so you have to wear it.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You spend about half the time wandering around the markets of the Heart District. Now that he’s sort of back in power, Red Street has been making a comeback, so you’re definitely going to be there for quite some time.</span></li>
<li><span>Like with Nadia’s, dinner is a multi-course affair. Unlike Nadia’s, dinner with Lucio is never peaceful. He likes hearing himself talk. He’s particularly fond of telling you about pre-Plague Vesuvia (read: telling you about him in his prime), and he’s pretty good at setting the scene. You swear you can almost remember what it was like.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Ballroom dancing is next up. Well, not exactly </span><em><span>ballroom</span></em><span> dancing. There’s a smallish room that has been beautifully decorated, but it’s not technically a ballroom. A magic music box is set up, playing familiar songs.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He knows all sorts of dances, and will gladly teach them to you. The fast-paced ones are his favorite. Try not to get too dizzy; you did just eat, after all.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s as bad as Asra when it comes to snatching kisses while dancing. He’ll actually let you do it back, if you want. He’ll melt.</span></li>
<li><span>Now that you’ve been thoroughly exhausted, he’ll carry you back to your room to snuggle the living daylights out of you. Circe inevitably joins. Mercedes and Melchior tried once and are not strictly forbidden from being on beds.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Like with Portia, any outing Valerius plans is likely to be an all-day thing. He needed a vacation day, anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s very schedule-oriented, and that doesn’t change on days off. He gets antsy without a plan for the day. Thus, a day out with him is meticulously planned (with your input).</span></li>
<li><span>This isn’t to say that you don't take the day at a relaxed pace, because you do. There’s a solid two and a half hours set aside specifically for the slow process of getting ready for the day. You sleep in, take your time getting out of bed, eat breakfast slowly.</span></li>
<li><span>Let him pick out your outfit and do your makeup, if you’re a makeup person. He has an eye for this kind of thing. He himself will wear something dressier than usual, and will put his hair up in a more complicated style than usual.</span></li>
<li><span>If you drink, he knows of at least three wine tastings going on. If you don’t drink, there are art galleries, ornamental gardens, and bookshops to stroll through. Whatever you end up doing, hold his hand while doing it.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Lunch is had in a private pavilion in one of those gardens. Now is the time for banter and </span><span>gossip. </span><em><span>Please</span></em><span> criticise Lucio’s tastes in art; there are few things he finds more entertaining. It’s not treasonous now that Lucio isn’t in power, so unflattering jokes are fine.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You have an afternoon appointment at that day spa next. He definitely has favorites among the staff, so expect some introductions.</span></li>
<li><span>You assumed dinner would be something fancy, maybe an upscale eatery. You assumed wrong. Dinner is back at the estate, and you cook it together. He knows how much you enjoy cooking with you, and it isn’t the worst thing in the world…</span></li>
<li><span>Assuming it’s dark enough at this point, the rest of the evening is spent stargazing or watching the sun go down. No paperwork or books this time, just the two of you, talking and admiring the sky.</span></li>
<li><span>This is the perfect time to catch up on the physical affection you've been missing out on all day. He loves it, whether or not he cares to admit it.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love all of them, but these were weirdly difficult to write. Probably because I have exactly 0 experience dating.<br/>Can you tell I *really* like the dancing scenes?</p><p>Funny anecdote: I was looking up fancy/romantic date ideas, and one of the ones I found was...raise chickens together. I'm not kidding.</p><p>Another Tumblr plug, because no one seems to particularly mind: https://knight-engale.tumblr.com/post/635962711841374208/youve-never-looked-at-me-this-way-before-you</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Love Letters (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You leave a letter for your love to find. What do they do?</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asra</p><ul>
<li>Asra was tidying up the shop when he found your letter. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting, but it was a very welcome surprise.</li>
<li>His grin kept getting bigger as he read. When it was done, he literally did a happy dance with Faust. It was too much and he was too excited.</li>
<li>Then he got to work writing one back. There were many drafts and revisions made. Words failed him when it came to voicing his love for you. How could he ever put into words how much you mean to him?</li>
<li>Eventually, he managed to write something he was satisfied with. He was about to send Faust to deliver it...then you came home. It took a lot longer than he’d realized, apparently.</li>
<li>You read his letter while he made dinner. It was sickeningly sweet and made your heart skip.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Nadia</p><ul>
<li>Nadia had gotten another one of her migraines. It was bad enough that she could barely even focus on paperwork. You’d assured her that you and Valerius could handle everything while she rested. There was nothing important going on, so she took the day off.</li>
<li>It was a pleasant surprise when Portia delivered a letter. It had your official Court Magician seal on it, and smelt vaguely like your lab.</li>
<li>The letter was heartfelt and perfectly adorable. Admittedly, it took longer to read than it usually would, as her vision would blur occasionally. Despite this, though, she read it through multiple times.</li>
<li>You came to her bedroom around lunchtime, bringing food and a freshly-brewed pain relief potion. She was sitting by a window, your letter in her hands and idly watching the sky.</li>
<li>...You didn’t end up going back to work for a while. Nadia couldn’t resist spoiling you a little after that letter. She also needed some comfort. Migraines are the worst.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Julian</p><ul>
<li>He found the letter among his medical notes in his clinic. He probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if he hadn’t recognized your far neater handwriting.</li>
<li>As he still had things to do, he tucked it into one of his many pockets to read later. Once he got a chance to sit for a few minutes, he read it. His stomach swooped and his heart leapt into his throat.</li>
<li>It was difficult for him to focus for the rest of the day, as he began to plan exactly what he would say to you when you came home. Something flowery and poetic, of course. With lots of cute nicknames.</li>
<li>What actually ended up happening was you teasingly asking if he liked the letter, and him getting too flustered to properly say his bit. He stammered and blushed madly.</li>
<li>It was adorable and you loved it.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Muriel</p><ul>
<li>You’d left the letter on the little desk he’d made for you ages ago. Usually, Muriel didn’t go through your things. Far be it from him to invade your privacy. But it had his name written on it, and unlike the rest of your papers, it didn’t have an official seal.</li>
<li>His curiosity didn’t get the better of him until early evening. He was <em>quite</em> red in the face when he finished. You’d written so many sweet things, half of which he wasn’t convinced that he deserved, and it was too much.</li>
<li>He was still flustered when you returned home. Early. With flowers that you’d bought for him in the marketplace.</li>
<li>You asked if he’d read the letter. You got a noncommittal grunt and more blushing as an answer.</li>
<li>Later that evening, as you were tidying up after dinner, he put the letter on his shelf of trinkets and special things.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Portia</p><ul>
<li>Portia was taking a sick day to nurse a particularly bad cold. You would have stayed home to take care of her, but there was a meeting you were required to attend, so you left a letter to keep her company.</li>
<li>She found your letter after she finally woke up that morning. It was sitting in the kitchen alongside a pot of tea you had brewed and placed a minor enchantment on so that it would stay warm.</li>
<li>She read the letter as she ate breakfast. It made her heart flutter. Since she was running a mild fever, she couldn’t quite tell if she was blushing or just feverish, but she was definitely thrilled at the thoughtful gesture.</li>
<li>Once she’d cleaned up breakfast, she wrote a little note in response and set Pepi to go deliver it. Then she promptly fell asleep; the herbal tea you made for her had some healing agents that induce drowsiness. (Don’t worry, she knew this would happen.)</li>
<li>When she woke up again, Pepi and Circe were there, bearing another note from you. The cats played messenger all afternoon while the two of you sent cheesy love notes back and forth. It was fun! And it became a sick day tradition.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Lucio</p><ul>
<li>Lucio found your letter hidden in his closet, tucked into the pocket of one of his shirts. When he found it, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do. See, he’d never told you, but he can’t read well.</li>
<li>He couldn’t just go ask you to read it to him; his pride wouldn’t allow it. On the other <strike>magic</strike> hand, what if you asked about it and he didn’t know what it said?</li>
<li>He compromised by asking Nadia to read it. She didn’t make fun of him for being mostly illiterate, and read it with no questions asked. (She might have questioned your choice in wording once or twice, though. It was...sappy, to say the least.)</li>
<li>Never one to be outdone, he started thinking about how he could return the gesture. He dictated a letter to an exasperated Nadia. It was almost endearing, how he went on about you. At the very least, it was a nice change of pace to his usual self-importance.</li>
<li>He gave you the letter himself with all the grandeur he could muster. You recognized Nadia’s handwriting and asked about it after you read it through.</li>
<li>...Reading lessons started soon thereafter.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Valerius</p><ul>
<li>Valerius noticed the letter on his desk when he entered his office one morning. He figured it was something business related, as that was all the correspondence he ever got. For you to have sent a letter instead of talking to him in person was unusual, though.</li>
<li>When the letter was not business related at all, but a poetic love letter, his heart did an odd little leap.</li>
<li>When next he saw you, he quietly thanked you for the letter. Then left promptly because getting even the slightest bit flustered went against his hard-earned reputation.</li>
<li>Later that day, you found a letter in your office. It was every bit as sweet as yours and just as poetic. It wasn’t signed, but you recognized the handwriting. Your heart went squee.</li>
<li>You found him and smooched him. It was only a little bit reputation damaging, as Nadia was the only one to see.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It was a little tricky to figure out how to make each scenario unique. I think I did decently, though.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Seasonal Allergies (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seasonal allergies suck. But you happen to have a caretaker, so it's okay! Ish.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Asra is quite the mother hen when it comes to your health, and allergies are no exception to this rule.</span></li>
<li><span>If your allergies aren’t bad, he whips up a potion that will alleviate them. Watery eyes and a runny nose are annoying, but nothing unmanageable.</span></li>
<li><span>If they’re bad, he gets you to stay in bed, or at least off your feet. Maybe a bit extreme, but his heart is in the right place. That being said, sinus headaches are no joke. He makes a potion that will help and makes sure you’re taking it regularly.</span></li>
<li><span>Should it become necessary, that potion will knock you out. Can’t have allergies if you aren’t awake! (That’s Benadryl’s slogan, right?)</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Nadia is pretty understanding when it comes to allergies. As long as you aren’t worried about them, she won’t be worried.</span></li>
<li><span>Though, she doesn’t particularly like seeing you with the sniffles. She’ll encourage you to take medicine, even if it’s just some mild sniffles.</span></li>
<li><span>In the case of bad allergies, she insists that you take it easy and stay on a regular medicine regimen so that you aren’t quite so miserable.</span></li>
<li><span>She also makes it a point to keep things that trigger your allergies out of the castle. There isn’t much she can do about the gardens, but anything helps.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Doctor Devorak to the rescue! He loves taking care of you, so he capitalizes on any opportunity.</span></li>
<li><span>He knows quite a few remedies for minor allergic reactions. He provides medicine, tissues, and moral support.</span></li>
<li><span>His treatment for bad allergies is pretty much identical to his treatment of minor allergies, only more strict and with stronger medicine. Don’t worry, Maz has just the thing for these scenarios, let him step out for just a moment to go grab it. Don’t miss him too much!</span></li>
<li><span>If you’re like me and allergies give you sinus headaches, he’ll apply counterpressure, if it helps. Usually this just means gently running his thumbs over your sinuses and temples. It feels really good. You’ve been warned.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Muriel is constantly worried about you, so when allergies kick in, he’s quick to make sure you’re okay and as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances.</span></li>
<li><span>For mild allergies, he keeps a supply of tissues at the ready and remedies from Asra stocked. Don’t bother trying to make them yourself; he very stubbornly won’t let you. He also keeps the hut as clean and allergen-free as possible.</span></li>
<li><span>In the case of more severe allergies...well, seasonal allergies are usually caused by plants, and he lives in the forest. It’s not a good mix. You migrate to the shop for a while, as spells to keep the air clean can only do so much.</span></li>
<li><span>This is one of the few times he will actually make the first move when it comes to cuddles. It’s really nice.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Seasonal allergies are no match for Portia!</span></li>
<li><span>She notices almost immediately when your allergies flare up. Luckily, she’s been learning Maz’s (magic) home remedies, so keeping mild allergies under control is pretty easy.</span></li>
<li><span>More serious allergies require more serious battle tactics. Stronger medicine, rest, and sleeping in the palace if needed are among her strategies. She’s also very careful to wear clothes specifically for gardening, and is diligent in making sure they’re cleaned as soon as she’s done.</span></li>
<li><span>Like her brother, she often massages sinus headaches into submission. She usually ends up humming or maybe even singing softly while she does. Combined with the medicine, this has put you to sleep more than once.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>To be completely honest, the first time your allergies manifested, he thought you had a cold. He’s very nosophobic (nosophobia: the fear of getting sick), and seeing you apparently ill made him panicky.</span></li>
<li><span>Now that he knows what’s going on, he’s a lot more calm about it. He keeps tissues on hand for you, and actually takes responsibility for making sure you stay medicated.</span></li>
<li><span>If your allergies are bad, he insists that you don’t work. At least, not hard. You’ve jokingly referred to him as your personal nurse; he’s surprisingly on top of keeping you comfortable and cared for, insisting that he's being your hero. It’s adorable.</span></li>
<li><span>Any indoor plants that might trigger your allergies are strictly banned, Count’s orders. Don’t argue about this. It’s not worth it.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Valerius’s natural talent at being meticulous comes in handy when it comes to your allergies.</span></li>
<li><span>No witch of his will be suffering from such a <em>common</em> affliction. Everything in the estate is kept clean to the point of sterile. (As if it wasn’t already.) He reminds you to take medicine every few hours on the hour.</span></li>
<li>
<span>If your allergies are bad, he’ll insist on having you do stay in his office so he can better monitor you. It’s definitely only a</span><em><span> little</span></em><span> bit distracting. Besides, as I mentioned in a different chapter, physicians just can’t take proper care of you, in his opinion. So it must be him.</span>
</li>
<li><span>True to form, he still acts mildly grumpy about it, even as he frets over you. You’d laugh if the action didn’t make your head hurt more.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I've been having bad headaches, which are at least partially in my sinuses, lately, so writing this was mildly cathartic.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Cuddles (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You love some good old-fashioned cuddles.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Asra adores physical affection in all forms. He’s probably just as cuddly as you are. Maybe more.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He thinks your love of cuddles is absolutely </span><em><span>adorable</span></em><span>. It makes his heart soar when you snuggle into his side, or wrap your arms around him and put your head on his shoulder.</span>
</li>
<li>
<span>It’s not uncommon for one of you to hug the other from behind while they’re working. Honestly, it’s rare that you </span><em><span>aren’t</span></em><span> making some form of contact when you’re together. The downside is that you end up distracting each other.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Whenever he comes back from a trip, you’ll usually spend the rest of the day snuggling and catching up. He missed you and your cuddles so much...</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Nadia is mildly touch-starved, so having a cuddly partner is definitely a good thing.</span></li>
<li><span>She finds it adorable, how you love to maintain some form of contact. (Well, she finds pretty much everything about you adorable, but this especially so.) It’s too sweet.</span></li>
<li><span>Naturally, you have to be reserved about it in public. Propriety must be maintained, even if neither of you like it. Holding hands under the table is the most PDA you ever get.</span></li>
<li><span>In private, the game changes. Keep your arms around her, lace your fingers with hers, play with her hair. She’s sure to reciprocate it.</span></li>
<li><span>There are few things she loves more than a long snuggle session after a tiring day.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Julian and snuggles go together like Lucio and cookies.</span></li>
<li><span>As long as it’s not too important, he’ll put down whatever he’s doing in favor of cuddles whenever you ask. Not that you have the chance to ask very often; he’s usually the one initiating.</span></li>
<li>
<span>His favorite position is his head on your chest, arms around your waist, and your hands in his hair or on his shoulders. Kiss the top of his head or forehead, he </span><em><span>melts</span></em><span>. He’s too tall to get those kinds of kisses much, so they’re always extra special.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Good luck getting up in the mornings; he clings like no tomorrow.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Muriel...still isn’t used to physical affection. So it always startles him when you ask to cuddle. Not to say that he doesn’t enjoy cuddles. He does, he just rarely initiates.</span></li>
<li><span>When you ask, though, he’ll hold you with his gentle softness, always so careful not to accidentally hurt you. Having you right there is comforting, and being held comforts you, so it works out favorably.</span></li>
<li><span>If you lightly trace patterns on his chest during cuddles, he’ll just about melt.</span></li>
<li><span>Fall asleep on him. He thinks it’s precious.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You’re a cuddlebug? So is Portia!</span></li>
<li><span>She’ll visit you while you’re working and wrap her arms around your waist. How can you resist taking a quick break? (There are certainly no ulterior motives on Portia’s part. She definitely isn’t trying to make sure you aren’t working too hard.) In return, you’ll steal hugs and kisses whenever you pass her in the halls.</span></li>
<li><span>It can be difficult to disentangle yourself from her in the evenings after dinner. She straddles your lap and buries her face in the crook of your neck. It’s adorable and you never want to get up.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>No matter how cuddly you are, Lucio is even more so.</span></li>
<li>
<span>A few extra minutes in bed before getting up? Try another hour, at least. He doesn’t do a good morning kiss, he does good morning kiss</span><em><span>es</span></em><span>. Good luck getting any work done when he’s around; he needs to have his arms around you and will not wait.</span>
</li>
<li><span>In all honesty, you’re happy to return the favor. It’s mildly exhausting to everyone else, the way actual productivity goes out the door whenever the two of you are around each other.</span></li>
<li><span>You have to be the one to break it off so stuff can get done. But you make up for it later, so it’s fine.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Imagine touch starvation. That is this man.</span></li>
<li><span>Really though, Valerius isn’t accustomed to having a partner, let alone someone with a love of physical contact. As such, he’s very reserved about it. You’re lucky if you get to hold his hand under the table during a meeting.</span></li>
<li><span>In private, it’s a different story. Not allowing anyone to be close to him, physically or otherwise, backfired, in that now he can’t get enough.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He’ll never admit it, but having your arms wrapped around him or your head on his shoulder is wonderfully comforting. It reminds him of his...well, his </span><em><span>humanity</span></em><span>. Temporary demonhood is incredibly traumatic, who would have guessed?</span>
</li>
<li><span>Also, for the love of all that is holy, play with his hair. He loves it. You are one of the very, very few people who are allowed to touch his hair. Take advantage of it.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really liked this one~</p><p>Wow, it's really been a whole month since I started this! 2000+ hits and 66 kudos later, I'm thinking maybe people like what I write. Crazy, I know. Thank you to everyone reading this! I love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Coming Out (Asra and Julian)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>So, turns out the Apprentice isn't straight.</p><p>Requested by TheHerondalesAreBicons</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Coming out to Asra was...anticlimactic. You were expecting a bigger reaction.</span></li>
<li><span>Instead, he seemed to have been expecting it. He made that Knowing Smile face, gave you a big hug, and offered to take you out for some pumpkin bread.</span></li>
<li><span>“Wait, that’s it?”</span></li>
<li><span>“Yeah. I’ll always support you, no matter who you’re attracted to. Come on, pumpkin bread isn’t going to buy itself, now is it?”</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Julian was thrilled when you told him. You trusted him enough to tell him something so personal! He was touched.</span></li>
<li><span>He didn’t really react outwardly (his eyebrows were raised, but that was it) for a moment, because he was still recovering from the surprise of being held in such high regard. His lack of reaction worried you.</span></li>
<li><span>Then he grinned and wrapped you up in a massive hug.</span></li>
<li><span>“Of course I support you! I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't!"</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Writer's block sucks. I hope this is what you were looking for!<br/>I left it intentionally ambiguous as to reader's sexuality, which is part of the reason why these are so short. It doesn't work quite as well for coming out as ace or demi...maybe if you squint?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Nicknames (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nicknames!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Asra gives you all the nicknames. He uses your actual name only slightly more often than nicknames, to be honest.</span></li>
<li><span>He generally uses all the most common ones. His favorites are things like “my love” or “my heart”. “My better half” is another one he’s particularly fond of.</span></li>
<li><span>Sometimes, he’ll use nicknames he’s heard during his travels. He seems to know what they mean, whether or not you do.</span></li>
<li><span>You use most of the same nicknames he does. He always lights up whenever you use a nickname for him.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>While Nadia adores calling you by nicknames, they’re usually reserved for in private. Curse the need for formality!</span></li>
<li><span>“My dearest” is the most common. Next are nicknames specifically tailored to you. Things such as “my little [gemstone that’s the same color as your eyes]”. She also has a few Prakran nicknames that you don’t understand and love anyway.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Occasionally she’ll use “my dear magician” in public. It’s </span><em><span>just </span></em><span>normal enough to skirt the line between nickname and formal address.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Remember how she once called you “the brightest mind of our time”? She’s fond of using that one while observing your work. It still gets you so flustered and she relishes your reaction.</span></li>
<li><span>You usually call her Nadi. On the occasion that you use another nickname, she gets this immensely pleased blush.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Julian uses nicknames </span><em><span>slightly</span></em><span> more often than your actual name.</span>
</li>
<li><span>“My dear” is the most common. “Darling” and “my love” are tied for second. “Angel” is next. There’s a lot of nicknames in other languages, too. You don’t know what they mean, but the look he gets when he calls you some of them….</span></li>
<li><span>When you’re in need of comfort, the nicknames tend to come pouring out all at once. “Oh, my dear darling angel, no, don’t cry, my love, it’s okay sweetheart…” It’s adorable and effective at cheering you up.</span></li>
<li><span>You’re more reserved when it comes to nicknames. “Dear” and “my [anything]” are your go-tos. He gets very flustered every time.</span></li>
<li><span>He loves it when you call him Ilya.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Muriel isn’t super big on nicknames. It took him a </span><em><span>very </span></em><span>long time to work up the courage to call you “dear”.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He’s a little more used to it now, but he’s still incredibly reserved. A mumbled “thank you, love” is the most you’ll usually get. The term “my” never prefaces the nickname, ever.</span></li>
<li><span>He tends to get all blushy whenever he uses a nickname.</span></li>
<li><span>You tend to call him Muri whenever you feel the urge to use a nickname. Or, if you’re feeling particularly devious/playful/whatever, Muri-bear.</span></li>
<li><span>He gets. SO flustered. When you call him Muri-bear. It’s absolutely precious and only makes you want to call him it more often.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Portia loves using cute nicknames for you!</span></li>
<li><span>Her favorites are babe, honey, sunshine, cutie, and variations of sweetheart. These nicknames are used copiously whenever she sees you at work.</span></li>
<li><span>(Admittedly, it’s hard to be a dignified and powerful court magician when you’re being held bridal-style by a tiny woman who keeps calling you adorable pet names.)</span></li>
<li>
<span>All the nicknames she uses for you, you sling right back at her and then some. Doll is one you’re fond of...and is one that </span><em><span>only</span></em><span> you can call her, ever. Julian tried, and faced swift retribution for his crimes.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Coming up with ridiculous and increasingly convoluted nicknames is an ongoing game between the two of you.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ll sometimes call her Pasha when you’re around her family. She melts.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Oh boy. Don’t get Lucio </span><em><span>started</span></em><span> on nicknames. He’s absolutely awful.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Gorgeous, angel, babe, precious, dove, eye candy...the list goes on. And on. Any nickname is usually accompanied by “my”, because this is Lucio.</span></li>
<li><span>Like Julian, he too has a tendency to pile them on. But instead of using them to comfort you when you’re upset, he does it just because. “Hey, my dearest, gorgeous, darling little angel dove, I’m bored. When will you be done?”</span></li>
<li>
<span>You have far fewer nicknames for him, and they’re less flowery. You don’t use them as liberally as he does, because even being called “dear” makes him </span><em><span>preen</span></em><span> so that you’ll do it again.</span>
</li>
<li><span>...Once, when you were particularly angry with him, you shouted "Montag" instead of "Lucio." Must have picked it up from Morga at some point. Needless to say, he was terrified.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius is similar to Muriel when it comes to nicknames, in that he doesn’t really have many for you. Like with most of his displays of affection, his sense of propriety around the court gets in the way.</span></li>
<li><span>Usually, when there are people around, he’ll just call you Magician. Sometimes witch, though he does mean it affectionately these days.</span></li>
<li><span>When it’s just the two of you, he tends to call you “my dear” or “my love”. He always says it so quietly, almost reverently, and it makes you all warm and fuzzy.</span></li>
<li><span>Sometimes, when it’s late and quiet, with absolutely no chance of being overheard, you’ll be graced with “the light of my life”. It’s by far your favorite.</span></li>
<li>
<span>As for your nicknames for him, there aren’t many. You use his title in public, Val in more casual settings (like on dates or only around Nadia), and things like “dear” or “love” in the privacy of home. He finds your nicknames endearing. Except Val. He only </span><em><span>tolerates </span></em><span>that one.</span>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you need me, I'll be over here, melting over "the light of my life". It was a random stroke of inspiration that I now cannot get over.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Reading Lessons (Lucio)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Teaching a grown man to read is not an easy task...</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ul>
<li>
<span>It took Lucio a </span><em><span>very</span></em><span> long time to admit to anyone that he’s functionally illiterate. Admitting it to you would be defeat, and the great Lucio </span><em><span>never</span></em><span> admits defeat!</span>
</li>
<li><span>Then he couldn’t read that letter you wrote for him. It was a crippling blow to his pride to have to ask Nadia for help. He despised that feeling of needing to rely on someone else for something so basic.</span></li>
<li><span>Even so, when you offered to teach him to read, his gut reaction was to refuse. Our dearest goatman is incredibly stubborn.</span></li>
<li><span>He agreed to it, though. Since you asked so nicely. On the condition that you tell no one and the lessons take place privately.</span></li>
<li><span>(You weren’t convinced of the innocence of the latter condition, but agreed anyway.)</span></li>
<li><span>And so, reading lessons in the library became a thing.</span></li>
<li><span>Lucio proved to be a difficult student. Not that you were surprised. He’s not a particularly patient person, and learning to read is hard. You remember from experience.</span></li>
<li><span>You asked Asra for some tips. He chuckled when he heard what you were attempting, but provided helpful advice. He found that childrens’ books worked well when he was teaching you.</span></li>
<li><span>Unfortunately, the palace library is distinctly lacking in childrens’ books. You discreetly “snuck” some in. At least, that’s what Lucio said you did. There was no stealth involved. You bought some and brought them back, and no one asked because no one paid any special attention to your purchases.</span></li>
<li><span>But it’s more dramatic to say you snuck them in, so that’s the story he’s going with.</span></li>
<li><span>Even though the books were simple, he still struggled. Rewards proved immensely helpful; the promise of cookies and kisses was very motivational for him.</span></li>
<li><span>Progress was still slow, though. Since you were so busy, you could only ever get to lessons in the evenings, and his lack of patience fed yours.</span></li>
<li><span>It took weeks, but he finally managed to read a book out loud, from cover to cover! He only stuttered a little bit! You were so proud.</span></li>
<li><span>Now that his efforts were bearing fruit, Lucio was more willing to actually take the time to practice without you. Plus, he saw how happy you were when he read that book.</span></li>
<li><span>You caught him reading to the dogs on multiple occasions. It was the cutest thing, even if he kept vehemently denying what he was doing.</span></li>
<li><span>When your birthday came around, he surprised you by reading a poem he’d hand-written for you. It was sappy and dramatic. You very nearly cried.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I did too much research for this one...which I didn't end up using.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Animal Transformation (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Yet again, a spell has gone wrong.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Once again, you had been working on a complicated spell. Asra was keeping an eye on you, since you tend to get into trouble when left unsupervised.</span></li>
<li><span>He was right; one misplaced spell component later, you disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. In your place was a large fox that looked...well, remarkably like the Magician card.</span></li>
<li><span>You ran off, forcing a bewildered Asra to chase after you. He finally figured out how to catch you and calm you down.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Nadia found him in the halls, apparently holding a rowdy fox, she naturally asked what was going on. That triggered a wave of laughter. The situation was just so </span><em><span>absurd</span></em><span> that he couldn’t react any other way.</span>
</li>
<li><span>...Nadia was immensely worried when Asra just dissolved into a laughing fit. She almost called Julian over to make sure Asra wasn’t ill.</span></li>
<li><span>After a few minutes, Asra did finally explain what happened. Aisha and Salim were promptly summoned, and the three of them tried to figure out how to reverse it. You, Faust, and Circe seemed to have fun playing together in the meantime.</span></li>
<li><span>You were human again by dinner. Asra asked to be more involved with your work after this incident, so that this wouldn’t happen again. You figured that was probably a good idea.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Nadia was once again nursing a headache when she heard a loud sound from your lab. She rushed to you, headache forgotten or ignored. (You really need to stop giving her heart attacks like this.)</span></li>
<li><span>Instead of you in your lab, there was a particularly flustered dove fluttering around. Said dove settled on Nadia’s shoulder and affectionately nibbled her hair. Said dove also answered to your name.</span></li>
<li><span>...Of course. Of course you had turned into a dove. Right when the Alnazars were away, too.</span></li>
<li><span>All things considered, Nadia handled the situation as well as anyone could expect. Chandra and Circe were tasked with watching over you, and Nadia told anyone who asked that you had taken ill suddenly and needed rest.</span></li>
<li><span>You did find your way into the window in Valerius’s office at some point. The dear Consul was understandably startled when a dove flew in, closely followed by Nadia’s owl. The conversation with Nadia that followed was headache-inducing for both parties.</span></li>
<li><span>You were a bird for three days before being turned back. Nadia was glad to have you back, but she also made sure that you had an assistant from then on so that this sort of thing wouldn’t happen a fourth time.</span></li>
<li><span>You also apologized for startling Valerius. You honestly hadn’t realized it was his office until after you’d entered.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You’d taken a day off at Julian’s request. That is, you’d taken a day to work from home, in bed, in your pajamas, because even though you did need rest, deadlines wait for no one. Julian stayed home to keep an eye on you, and had stepped out to get pumpkin bread.</span></li>
<li><span>When he came back, Malak was panicking, and Circe was on the bed grooming another, slightly smaller cat in the color of your hair. You were nowhere to be found.</span></li>
<li>
<span>The strange cat hopped down and rubbed against his legs as Julian called out for you in a panic. It took minutes for him to realize that you </span><em><span>were</span></em><span> the cat. You were a cat.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Once he got over his shock, he actually scolded you. He took his eyes off of you for a few minutes, and you had already managed to find trouble. You just purred without a care in the world; he was holding you and was very warm.</span></li>
<li><span>He brought you to the palace shortly afterward. He couldn’t exactly turn you back, but maybe Asra or his parents could. He had to ask Pasha for help finding them, because none of them could be found anywhere.</span></li>
<li><span>(Pasha absolutely doted on the cat version of you. Much to his chagrin, you seemed to relish your sister-in-law’s attention.)</span></li>
<li><span>Asra was willing enough to turn you back. Though he was curious as to how you managed to turn into a cat in the first place.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Muriel was harvesting berries when Inanna ran up to him, carrying a large rabbit on her back. He knew that Inanna had been with you that day, so unless you’d sent the rabbit back with her, which was unlikely, then…</span></li>
<li>
<span>...Really? Seriously? What had you been </span><em><span>doing</span></em><span> while he wasn’t looking?</span>
</li>
<li><span>He brought you straight to Asra. He explained the situation while you hopped around the shop without a care in the world.</span></li>
<li><span>You all hung out at the shop for a few hours while Asra tried to figure out how to reverse the transformation. It was...kind of nice, to just be there, watching you, Faust, and Circe play tag and listening to Asra troubleshoot out loud.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you were back to your proper self, Asra asked what you were trying to do. You explained that you’d been trying to test out a new transfiguration spell, when a rabbit had startled you and made the spell backfire on you. You refused to say what you were trying to transform.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You were in Portia’s garden, teaching her some magic basics. One of which happened to be the relatively simple task of turning one material into a similar material. You were in the middle of demonstrating when Circe ran up to you.</span></li>
<li><span>You were more than happy to pick up your familiar, but she had redirected your attention and the spell you were casting quite literally blew up in your face. The next thing either of you knew, you were an almost exact copy of Circe, but with your hair and eye color.</span></li>
<li><span>To be fair, it wasn’t that bad. You could communicate to a point, as Portia is good at understanding cats and your body language. Plus you had the other cats to chat with. Turns out they know a lot of gossip, who would have guessed?</span></li>
<li><span>You were very against the idea of her trying to turn you back; since she was still a beginner at magic, her interference might only make things worse. So she decided to wait. Asra was visiting the next day, and maybe the spell would be gone by then anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia greatly enjoyed carrying you around. She likes picking you up anyway, but now you actually fit in her arms! You weren’t exactly complaining either.</span></li>
<li><span>The spell wore off in the small hours of the morning. It was the one time Portia was the big spoon.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You’d been hanging out in the gardens with Lucio when it happened. He’d been encouraging you to try out some ancient spell in a language you had a vague grasp of. You thought you understood what it was supposed to do.</span></li>
<li><span>You didn’t understand what it was supposed to do.</span></li>
<li><span>One moment you were a normal human, the next you were a...a miniature donkey. Honestly, you were kind of cute! In a livestocky way.</span></li>
<li><span>He brought you inside. The palace staff seemed generally shocked and appalled at having a farm animal traipsing about, but they knew not to question Lucio’s...eccentricities.</span></li>
<li>
<span>It didn’t take long for Nadia to learn of the accident. How could she not, really? It would be more surprising if she </span><em><span>didn’t</span></em><span> find out within the first half-hour.</span>
</li>
<li><span>The conversation that followed wasn’t easy for her.</span></li>
<li><span>“[y/n] turned into a donkey.” “Yeah! See?” “...You aren’t kidding.” “Duh, of course not!”</span></li>
<li><span>Unfortunately, Asra was unavailable. Why? Who knows. Probably off on one of his adventures again. So there wasn’t anyone to turn you back for a while.</span></li>
<li><span>Lucio insisted on treating you like a particularly spoiled pet. You got your own little bed, lots of trinkets, the highest quality foods. Circe and the dogs got kind of jealous.</span></li>
<li><span>At one point, you refused to cooperate with a scheme to prank Nadia.</span></li>
<li><span>“Come on, babe, stop being such an ass!”</span></li>
<li><span>...He proceeded to realize the accidental joke and laugh for way too long.</span></li>
<li><span>When you finally got turned back into a human, you didn’t feel great. The feed you’d been eating didn’t agree with your human digestive system. Lucio fluttered around you while you...recovered. It wasn’t fun.</span></li>
<li><span>At least now both of you could say you’d been a farm animal. That’s an upside, right? <strike>No. It's not.</strike></span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius was discussing something with Nadia when the chamberlain bustled up to inform Nadia of multiple noise complaints from your lab. He went to go check on you.</span></li>
<li>
<span>...His usual wine glass met its untimely demise when he opened the door to find a full-sized donkey in your lab. There was no way it </span><em><span>couldn’t</span></em><span> be you; you wouldn’t have put a random animal in your lab for no reason, right? And you </span><em><span>had</span></em><span> been trying out a transfiguration spell lately.</span>
</li>
<li><span>This was one of the few times he was openly dazed. Of all the things you could have transformed into, did it really have to be a pack animal? He had to be led away to process this turn of events while Nadia was left to handle the aftermath.</span></li>
<li><span>You were brought to the palace stables for lack of better housing. Valerius was very close to finishing off a bottle when Nadia, of all people, gave him the boot. He was not going to drink away this issue.</span></li>
<li><span>(You and Nadia have been discussing his alcoholism. In your absence, she’s agreed to lend a hand.)</span></li>
<li><span>He wasn’t happy about it, but conceded because he knew you’d be majorly upset when you found out he’d turned right back to strong drink the moment you were no longer there to stop him.</span></li>
<li>
<span>All further meetings were rescheduled in favor of finding a solution. He doesn’t know a lot about magic, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least </span><em><span>try</span></em><span> to help the situation. He spent a lot of time in your lab, trying to make sense of your spell books and notes.</span>
</li>
<li>
<span>At one point, out of sheer desperation, he tried to get you to personally answer his questions (he really wasn’t in his right mind). It wasn’t successful. And being in the relatively open stables, attempting to talk to </span><em><span>livestock</span></em><span> with palace staff within hearing range, was more than his pride could bear. He didn’t stay long. His leaving in apparent disgust and embarrassment earned a very dirty look from you.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Asra arrived in the late evening, having only just gotten back to Vesuvia from who knows where. He couldn’t help but tease the very flustered and very tired Consul. It’s mildly amusing, okay? You do it on occasion.</span></li>
<li>
<span>“Having a good day, I assume?” “You know very well that I am not, witch. My </span><em><span>spouse</span></em><span> managed to turn into a lowly </span><em><span>barnyard animal.</span></em><span>” “Lowly? I’ll be sure to pass that on.”</span>
</li>
<li>It was late when you finally changed back. Late enough to justify spending the night at the palace, in fact. You weren't allowed to go to bed before having a long bath, though...you still smelled like livestock.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Bit of a late upload, sorry! I had a bit of a busy morning.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Little Sister (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>One day, you were going about your business when a letter arrived. You were the closest living relative to a young girl named Alma who needed a new home. In fact, you were her older sibling! Being the kind person you are, you took your little sister in.</p><p>Requested by BacktrackSoCasually</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Asra already knew about Alma from before the plague, though he’d never met her. Before you died, you would occasionally tell him about her. (Mostly you’d just gush over how sweet and cute she was, because at the time she was only three.)</span></li>
<li><span>He loved her right off the bat. He could empathize with her to a point, having also been a small child with absent parents once. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, so he decided to go above and beyond to help you take care of her.</span></li>
<li><span>It didn’t take long for Alma to warm up to Asra. He’s pretty good with kids. It helps that small children are easily dazzled by simple magic tricks.</span></li>
<li><span>The hardest part of suddenly having her around was rearranging the shop’s small living area to accommodate another resident. Some complicated Howl's Moving Castle home renovation magic was used. Even with Salim and Aisha helping, you and Asra were ridiculously exhausted when it was done.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma helped Aisha make recovery cookies while you and Asra slept.</span></li>
<li><span>Faust and Circe both liked Alma from the start. Alma liked Circe, though she wasn’t too thrilled at first about having a snake around.</span></li>
<li><span>The shop is now basically filled with pumpkin bread and various other treats that Asra has brought home for her. You’ve been warned.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Of the seven love interests here, Nadia was probably the best prepared for having a sudden newcomer. And she was more than happy to welcome a new addition.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma was starstruck upon meeting Nadia for the first time. Nadia, in turn, was enamored with her. Remember when you turned into a kid, and Nadia spoiled you so much? That happened again. You had to remind her to not spoil Alma too much.</span></li>
<li><span>Circe and Chandra were tasked with being Alma’s escorts while she got used to navigating the palace. Alma thought Chandra was the prettiest bird she’d ever seen. It stroked the owl’s ego.</span></li>
<li><span>The fact that Alma needed a new home, compounded by tales of Asra’s and Muriel’s childhoods, was the final push Nadia needed to work on opening a proper orphanage in Vesuvia. Construction began promptly, and its staff was carefully picked by trusted managers.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma accidentally called Nadia “mama” once. Nadia had to take a brief break from work, lest her heart overload.</span></li>
<li><span>...Alma quickly became Ambassador Natiqa’s partner in crime. You found this out the hard way.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Julian is practically an expert on taking care of younger sisters (in his words, anyway), so he happily coached you. You were immensely grateful for his help.</span></li>
<li><span>He loved Alma at first sight. Alma, on the other hand, wasn’t too sure about him; he was still wearing his doctor getup and eyepatch and was so tall! He was kind of scary-looking! She made sure to keep you between herself and Julian for a while.</span></li>
<li><span>What finally kindled a friendly relationship was Alma getting a particularly nasty cold. That first evening, while you were reading some correspondence from the palace, Julian flitted around like a mother hen, dramatizing everything he did as he gave her the best care he could. In a bad pirate voice, too, to complement the eye patch.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma’s giggling was incredibly distracting. You didn’t mind the distraction this time.</span></li>
<li><span>Malak didn’t particularly mind Alma for the most part. They don’t interact much, to be honest. Alma has pointed out the similarities between Julian and Malak.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia has been dubbed “Auntie Portia”. Everyone liked that.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>We all know Muriel is good with kids. So while he wasn’t completely smitten with Alma when she arrived, he definitely made sure she knew she was welcome.</span></li>
<li><span>He built a bed for her. You and Alma painted it together. It was the only actually colorful piece of furniture in the hut.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Speaking of the hut, it was already on the small side with just the two of you plus a cat and wolf. With the addition of a six year old? The two of you have been considering upsizing sooner rather than later. Muriel isn’t particularly enthusiastic about it, but it </span><em><span>would</span></em><span> be nice to stop nearly falling over smaller people every five minutes.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Inanna accepted Alma into the family pretty quickly. She is Alma’s designated bodyguard whenever they’re together. Alma doesn’t mind; Inanna is nothing but gentle with her.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Portia loved Alma before they even met. Maybe it was the fact that she’d been in a similar-ish situation as a kid, or maybe it was because of the idea of a small child that looked similar to you being around. Maybe (probably) both.</span></li>
<li><span>Likewise, Alma loved Portia from the start. They were both excitable balls of energy with a fondness for cute cats. Needless to say, they got along swimmingly.</span></li>
<li><span>If cooking dinner together was uncommon before, having Alma around has changed that. Portia loves having a little helper, and Alma loves being helpful. And you’re there to supervise.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma and the cats are playmates. If pocket cameras existed here, you would have one filled with pictures of Alma and the cats being cute. You’ve found the three napping together on multiple occasions.</span></li>
<li><span>Modifying Portia’s cottage to accommodate Alma was a little tricky, but you managed it.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Lucio...actually didn’t think much of the situation. So there was going to be a small human around. She wouldn’t be his responsibility, so he figured he’d be content to take a back seat in this endeavor.</span></li>
<li><span>That was, until he finally realized how exhausted you were. Being the court magician isn’t exactly easy, and now you had a kid to take care of on top of that. It took him a little too long to notice that it was wearing you down.</span></li>
<li><span>Well, that wouldn’t do. Lucio your <strike>trophy husband</strike> personal hero to the rescue! He isn’t great with kids, but he makes an honest effort for your sake. He’s good at goofing around, which helps.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma, in turn, doesn’t mind him babysitting every so often. You’ve heard many tales of their adventures.</span></li>
<li><span>Mercedes and Melchior aren’t huge fans of Alma, but they do enjoy accompanying her and Lucio on their garden adventures.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma has a bedroom in Lucio’s wing. It’s filled with various trinkets and toys that both of you have bought for her.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius was reluctantly accepting when you decided to take Alma under your wing. He wasn’t enthusiastic about it, but he didn’t expect you to refuse. Nor would he want you to, really; it would be uncharacteristic of you. At least it wasn’t another wild cat.</span></li>
<li><span>The estate was promptly prepared for a new arrival. (It didn’t take long for rumors to spread through his staff. He quickly quashed them.)</span></li>
<li><span>Now, Valerius isn’t exactly good with children. So when Alma arrived, full of questions and wondering about her new home, he was understandably awkward and curt in his answers. It took a while for him to warm up to her presence.</span></li>
<li><span>Alma likes him, to a point. Honestly, they don’t interact too much, what with his busy schedule. She does think it’s funny when you steal quick kisses and get him all flustered. She also likes his hair. You can’t blame her; it’s glorious.</span></li>
<li><span>Though Alma currently spends most of her time learning from you, Valerius is contemplating her education when she gets older. Only out of a sense of duty, of course. At least, that’s what he says. The effect is diminished slightly whenever he asks after her when she gets hurt or sick.</span></li>
<li><span>He definitely isn’t realizing that he actually does have paternal instincts. Not at all.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Small sisters are a topic with which I am very familiar.</p><p>Let me know if you want Alma to be a recurring character, like Circe! I'm kind of attached to her now, to be honest.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Modern AU - Animal Shelter (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Various quick and fluffy animal shelter scenarios for your enjoyment!</p><p>Requested by Long_Live_Queen_Creativity</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You and Asra were bored one day and took a stroll downtown. You found an animal shelter! Asra fairly dragged you inside.</span></li>
<li><span>There were so. Many. Cute. Animals.</span></li>
<li>
<span>There was a particularly floofy white rabbit that the staff said was fond of napping and coercing visitors into showing affection. Asra wanted to adopt her. You persuaded him into giving it more thought. You already have Faust and Circe, do you </span><em><span>really</span></em><span> need another pet?</span>
</li>
<li><span>(He insists that you do. He is determined to have Asra Jr. in the house. You’re fighting a losing battle.)</span></li>
<li><span>Aside from finding a potential third pet, you found that you really liked being at the shelter! You started volunteering there later that month.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>A countess is never lost. An engineer with an adventurous spouse, however, can get lost on occasion.</span></li>
<li><span>Tonight was one of those occasions. You’d gone on a drive, and your GPS stopped working. So you pulled up to a local animal shelter for directions.</span></li>
<li><span>You played with the animals while Nadia asked around. Every so often, Nadia would glance over at you. Even though you were tired from driving and mildly grumpy from being hungry, you were still being so cute and sweet with your new “friends”.</span></li>
<li><span>It was the sweetest thing. Her heart went “squee”.</span></li>
<li><span>The two of you came back later to think about maybe, possibly adopting another pet.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>One evening, after a drink or two, Julian got to reminiscing about his old dog, Brundle. She’d been his companion through his teens and into medical school. He mentioned that he adopted her from a shelter.</span></li>
<li><span>That sparked a wonderful, if drunken, idea! You’d go visit the local shelter the next day! Not to adopt...probably.</span></li>
<li><span>Julian had a lot of fun. He seemed to completely forget about his mild hangover.</span></li>
<li><span>There just so happened to be a cute cat there that adored you. Like, really cute. You and Julian were both in love with her.</span></li>
<li><span>You returned to adopt Circe not too long afterward.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You actually met Muriel at an animal shelter! See, he works there. The first time you met was when you adopted Circe, when she was a tiny little kitten that he’d nursed back to health.</span></li>
<li><span>Then you kept coming back to ask him for advice, since he seemed to know Circe pretty well.</span></li>
<li><span>He ended up giving you his number so you could just text him with questions, instead of having to come in.</span></li>
<li><span>Yeah, the conversation didn’t stay on Circe for very long. One thing led to another, and that’s how you got a boyfriend from visiting an animal shelter.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Portia volunteers at the local shelter on the weekends. You usually stay home and get housework done, but today you decided to tag along! The place is criminally understaffed, so an extra set of hands is always appreciated.</span></li>
<li><span>You helped walk some of the older dogs (technically it was the only thing you could do without actual qualifications). Portia mentioned that one of them looked like Julian’s dog. That sparked the retelling of childhood stories that you definitely wouldn’t hold over your brother-in-law’s head at all.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia introduced you to some of the animals afterward. You were content to just have two cats, but it was fun meeting more of them!</span></li>
<li>
<span>There was a rabbit that tried to eat your hair. That wasn’t fun. Portia said he did that to everyone, but there was a </span><em><span>look</span></em><span> in that rabbit’s eyes…you’re still sure it was out to get you.</span>
</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>The two of you had been discussing getting a pet for a while now. You suggested visiting a shelter.</span></li>
<li><span>Despite being an animal lover, it took Lucio a while to warm up to the idea of going to a shelter. Something something “only the best for him”. You had to explain to him why shelters are better many times before he agreed to go.</span></li>
<li><span>He drove there. He got lost. You took over and got there in fifteen minutes.</span></li>
<li><span>When you got there, Lucio’s usual energy came back. You followed him around helplessly while he practically bounced all over the place. Then he stopped and you almost ran into you.</span></li>
<li><span>There were two borzoi puppies. They’d apparently been left there by their former owner. It was love at first sight for Lucio. All three of them made the exact same puppy-dog eyes at you. You had to remind him that neither of you were prepared for having dogs around. That problem was swiftly remedied.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Your dear Valerius had gotten to thinking. He wasn’t exactly in good standing with local organized crime, and he also wasn’t home quite as often as you were.</span></li>
<li><span>Yes, your neighborhood was safe enough--the only “incident” that had happened there was a break in by an ex who still had a house key and had left things there. On top of that, he has a good security system. Even so, he wanted an added layer of security. Especially now that your little sister was living with you.</span></li>
<li><span>So he decided that you were going to get a dog. Not a guard dog, really, but a big one that looked intimidating. Just in case. So you went to the shelter. Alma came, too.</span></li>
<li><span>You found a Rottweiler that loved Alma. Val deemed her intimidating enough to deter any would-be intruders. You talked it over at home. It didn’t take long to come to a consensus. Alma was thrilled.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I realize that I probably should have established the modern AU a little better before writing scenarios for it. Oh well, use your imagination.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Grudging Romance, Reversed (Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Not every story has a happily ever after.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ul>
<li><span>When you arrived in the palace, empowered by the magic in the air, power crackling at your fingertips, his heart skipped a beat. Maybe multiple. He didn’t care that Nadia or Asra were there--all that mattered is that you were there. You’d come for him.</span></li>
<li><span>You were notably startled when you saw him, stumbling out of a partially ruined hallway. Then you were relieved. No, he wasn’t hurt. Yes, he’d been as safe as he could be, under the circumstances. Yes, he wanted you to help him. You sent Nadia and Asra ahead so the both of you could have some privacy.</span></li>
<li><span>The first few moments after you nullified three years’ worth of deals felt surreal. He felt more like himself than he had in far too long. The delight in your eyes was more than he could bear. He initiated the kiss this time. It was time to own up to how he felt.</span></li>
<li><span>His confession was not flowery. It was not emotional or drawn-out. It was a simple statement of fact, spoken plainly as you held each other. Somehow, you had won his heart without knowing and without trying. And more surprisingly, his feelings were reciprocated. As stern and cold as he was, you had somehow come to love him.</span></li>
<li><span>He was still dazed when you confronted the Devil. Dazed enough, in fact, that he almost didn’t realize when all red-hot chains pulled him away from you. Then an all-too-familiar panic came over him, worse than it had ever been.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He could barely breathe. Couldn’t shake the dread and terror writhing in his stomach. He’d disobeyed a </span><em><span>god</span></em><span>, and the time of reckoning was at hand. He’d been a fool to think that maybe you could have helped him escape the consequences.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He saw you as if through a fog. There was horror written on your face. There was pain where the chains touched him, where the Devil’s claws tapped harshly against his throat.</span></li>
<li><span>His heart pounded in his chest. Then it very nearly stopped when he heard your trembling words.</span></li>
<li><span>“I want to make a deal.”</span></li>
<li>
<span>No. </span><em><span>No</span></em><span>, you couldn’t. His voice died in his throat even as he tried to make you change your mind.</span>
</li>
<li><span>The terms were set. His safety, in exchange for your surrender. As long as you did not fight back, the two of you would come to no harm. And so the deal was struck.</span></li>
<li><span>For the second time that day, the chains binding him fell away. This time, there was no tender moment of peace shared. This time, you ran. Ran as far away from the palace as you could get.</span></li>
<li><span>You finally found some form of rest in what you said must be the Heirophant’s realm. What was left of it, anyway. You hoped that the promise of safety would postpone the realm’s collapse.</span></li>
<li><span>And so began your life in hiding. It was deceptively peaceful, yet Valerius could not help but glance over his shoulder every so often, anxious that somehow the Devil had found a loophole in the deal.</span></li>
<li><span>Perhaps one day, someone else would come along and do what you had not had the strength to do. Perhaps, if the world survived that long. At least you had each other.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know what decisions would lead to this ending. Use your imagination.</p><p>Send in some requests, lovelies! I'm running low on material.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Magic Lessons (Alma)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You decide to teach your little sister magic!</p><p>Sort of by popular demand, but specifically requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <ul>
<li><span>Alma’s been living with you for about a month now. She’s been hanging out with you while you work, and every day she has more questions about magic.</span></li>
<li><span>So you had a brilliant idea. One that definitely wouldn’t blow up in your face later. You’d teach her magic! She was already beginning to exhibit some magic talent, so instruction would have to begin sooner or later, anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>First thing was first: you needed a plan of attack. You’d never taught a child before, and teaching magic was difficult enough. You spent a substantial amount of time taking notes from Aisha, Salim, and Asra.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Alma was very excited to be learning how to use magic, just like her older sibling! She was eager to learn more. Perhaps a bit </span><em><span>too</span></em><span> eager. You had to remind her to slow down. Magicians are not made in a day.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Nadia mentioned once that perhaps it would be easier on you if you hired someone to teach Alma. You thought about it for a moment, and decided against it. Who was more qualified to teach magic than the Court Magician?</span></li>
<li><span>You quickly discovered that Alma’s magic was a little stronger than you had anticipated. What should have been a simple, small light left spots in your vision for the next half hour. You were so proud.</span></li>
<li><span>Asra took over lessons one day, when you had a meeting that would take all day. You left Circe to keep an eye on them. She gave you updates every half hour.</span></li>
<li><span>(You started to worry when the updates stopped for a while. Then she informed you that they’d taken a lunch break, which eased your fears...a little.)</span></li>
<li><span>Another day, Portia joined one of the lessons because why not? She and Alma worked together to make some flower seeds sprout and bloom. In the process, some of the palace gardens may or may not have begun to overgrow, but that was easily fixed.</span></li>
<li><span>The three of you wore flower crowns made of said magically-grown flowers for the rest of the day.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve considered including Julian in one or two of the lessons, since he does have a little bit of magic…and you ultimately thought better of it after imagining the chaos that would ensue if Alma and Julian could both use magic.</span></li>
<li><span>The same goes for Lucio, where applicable, but even more so.</span></li>
<li><span>On another occasion, you were peacefully reviewing some paperwork that Nadia had sent you when a very irritated Valerius entered unannounced. And with wine down the front of his robe. Alma had used a little of her magic to lift the glass out of his hand and pour out its contents. You suspected Ambassador Natiqa had suggested the idea.</span></li>
<li><span>Needless to say, your next lesson was about appropriate uses of magic, with playing jokes on the Consul <em>not </em>being one of them. (That's <em>your</em> job, not hers.)</span></li>
<li><span>One of the first things you taught her was how to read cards. Though she wasn't great at it, she was fond of the pictures, especially the card with your spouse's patron Arcana. You wanted to bring her to the magic realms to meet them...but that would be too dangerous for a six year old with as much curiosity as she has. Later, though, when she's older.</span></li>
<li><span>For now, you're content to simply tell her about the more friendly ones, casting simple illusions to accompany your tales.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was fun to write, even if I ran face-first into a wall of writer's block about two-thirds of the way through.<br/>I wasn't expecting Alma to be quite so loved by you all, but I'm certainly not complaining! She's a sweetheart.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Modern AU - Camping (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Modern AU camping scenarios!</p><p>Requested by Long_Live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Camping sounds like an adventure, and Asra loves adventures! Count him in!</span></li>
<li><span>Alma came along, of course.</span></li>
<li><span>The biggest hiccup was figuring out what to do with Faust and Circe while you were gone. Muriel ended up pet sitting for you.</span></li>
<li><span>Your tent is obnoxiously colored and way too big for only three people.</span></li>
<li><span>He definitely brought an air mattress with a battery-operated pump, and way more spare batteries than it needs. He might be roughing it (more or less) for now, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to forego sleeping comfortably. Alma had her own air mattress, too.</span></li>
<li><span>Somehow he knew all the prettiest spots in the campground, even though you’re sure neither of you had been there before.</span></li>
<li><span>Some of these spots required hikes. You can do it!</span></li>
<li><span>Don’t forget stargazing. Every night. The sky is marvelously clear out here. When there aren’t trees blocking the view, anyway.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Camping has never been something Nadia particularly enjoyed. Some of her sisters like it, yes, but not her. However, a weekend getaway to somewhere remote did sound nice.</span></li>
<li><span>So you compromised by renting a cabin for a couple days. A very nice lakeside cabin that had more amenities than your actual house. Naturally, Alma accompanied you...mostly because Nadia didn’t want to leave her with her family.</span></li>
<li><span>There were some walking paths nearby that were very pretty this time of year. You took lots of pictures, of both the scenery and Nadia.</span></li>
<li><span>You all spent an entire afternoon out on the pier by the cabin, soaking up the sun and enjoying each other's company. It was nice.</span></li>
<li><span>There was a bonfire and s’mores one evening. It turns out Nadia is really good at roasting marshmallows, who would have guessed?</span></li>
<li><span>The cabin had a sauna that you definitely made use of.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Julian occasionally camped when he was a kid, though never for very long. Still, he insisted that he was great at camping! Portia’s claims to the opposite were simply untrue.</span></li>
<li><span>And his determination to prove Portia wrong is how you ended up on a week-long camping trip. (Alma stayed with Portia because she had school.)</span></li>
<li><span>Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. Except when he fell into a river. Oh, and when it started raining on a hike, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He’s good at starting campfires! It didn’t get too out of hand. (Emphasis on </span><em><span>too</span></em><span>.) Cooking hot dogs on a stick is easy enough, therefore it's one of the few things he actually can cook.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He’s also good at telling campfire stories. Specifically ghost stories. Retelling the stories ended up getting him more jumpy than you, but it’s the spirit of the thing (pun intended).</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>He’s camped often enough to know his way around the activity. He just doesn’t do it much these days. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy it, really, but it’s not a top priority.</span></li>
<li><span>However, he set aside a few days to go camping one week as soon as Alma got out of school. No better way to kick off summer than with baby’s first camping trip, right?</span></li>
<li><span>Inanna came too. She’s a very good girl and deserves a vacation too.</span></li>
<li><span>He bought her a sleeping bag with her favorite cartoon character on it. She was thrilled.</span></li>
<li><span>Speaking of sleeping bags, there are very few sleeping bags that can fit your 6’10 mountain of muscle. So instead he brought a bedroll. A very soft and comfortable one, at your insistence, because you’d be sharing it (and because hard ground isn’t easy on his back, which probably already has problems from his near constant slouching).</span></li>
<li><span>Muriel taught both of you how to fish. You didn’t catch anything, Alma caught the smallest freshwater fish you’d ever seen...and you thoroughly enjoyed watching him wade around, demonstrating how to catch a fish without a pole.</span></li>
<li><span>You all came home smelling like wood smoke. Not the most important detail to note, but that’s the one thing I enjoy about camping.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Camping is a great adventure! Even if Portia isn’t the best at it.</span></li>
<li><span>However, it’s also kind of fun to not be good at it! The tent collapsed no less than three times while you were setting it up, and you used far too many matches in your attempt to get a fire started. At least Alma found it entertaining.</span></li>
<li><span>A nature walk every morning was mandatory. Portia’s a morning person and you have to live with that now.</span></li>
<li><span>Luckily, the campgrounds had some free-with-admission activities! Disc golf, anyone?</span></li>
<li><span>There was a little flower crown making class in a pavilion. Alma participated and had a blast. You and Portia were so proud when she presented you with her lovingly-crafted crown.</span></li>
<li><span>There was a hike that passed under a waterfall that you definitely did. It wasn’t too bad. The spray from the falls got you soaked, though….</span></li>
<li><span>When you came home, the three of you collapsed on the master bed and napped before unpacking.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Camping sounds cool, in theory. In practice, it’s full of bug bites, mud, and generally less-than-ideal conditions. Needless to say, Lucio isn’t a fan.</span></li>
<li><span>Until a comment from his mother (something about he couldn’t camp if his life depended on it) poked at his ego. A camping trip was planned promptly.</span></li>
<li><span>You asked Asra to please watch Alma while you were gone, Lucio seems adamant on making this the most “roughing it” camping trip possible and Alma is simply too young to be subjected to this. He agreed, of course.</span></li>
<li><span>The trip was more backpacking than camping, technically. It wasn’t particularly fun, but he was determined to prove Morga wrong. Sigh.</span></li>
<li><span>Amazingly, his survivalist skills aren’t half bad. He’s really good at getting fires going.</span></li>
<li><span>There was one part of the trail that you irritably declared was only fit for goats. You’d both be feeling the strain of all those rocks for a week, at least.</span></li>
<li><span>There was a rest stop where you’d parked the car a little while earlier. It happened to have a decent fast-food restaurant in it. Never before had a greasy burger tasted so good.</span></li>
<li><span>Lucio regaled Alma with tales of his heroic trip in the wild afterward.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Nope. You will </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> get this lawyer out in the woods. He point-blank refuses.</span>
</li>
<li><span>But there was a school overnight one weekend that Alma begged to attend for two straight weeks, and there were two chaperone spots that needed to be filled. It would be at a nice Boy Scout campground, in air-conditioned cabins with fully-functional bathrooms. Hardly camping at all, really!</span></li>
<li>
<span>He reluctantly agreed. </span><em><span>Only </span></em><span>because it was clearly important to you and Alma.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Valerius is a merciless chaperone. A bunch of energetic second graders are no match for him and his disapproving glare. As long as he was around, there was no excessive nonsense. A little bit of nonsense was permissible, though. Kids are still kids.</span></li>
<li>
<span>One of the parents asked which kid was his. He pointed out Alma, who at the time was engrossed in a water gun fight, and only later realized that the parent assumed that he was Alma’s </span><em><span>father</span></em><span>.</span>
</li>
<li><span>You had to remind him that it was a fair misunderstanding.</span></li>
<li><span>That evening, some of the adults (mainly younger dads) got their hands on some leftover color run powder. You joined them in the chaos after the kids were in bed. Valerius merely watched. Then you gave him a massive hug and ruined his attempt to stay moderately clean.</span></li>
<li>Overall, the experience wasn’t <em><span>awful</span></em><span>, and if there was another event like this, he supposed he might chaperone again. Next time, you’d bring your dog (whose name is Molly, by the way).</span>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not a fan of camping, so this wasn't the easiest thing to write. Lucio's, and a little bit of Valerius's and Portia's are *loosely* based on camping experiences I've had.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Your Birthday! (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How do you celebrate your birthday?</p><p>Requested by Love_Live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Asra’s been celebrating your birthday with you for years now, but now that you work at the palace, he had an opportunity that he hasn’t had since before you died.</span></li>
<li><span>He can reasonably throw you a surprise party!</span></li>
<li>
<span>Naturally, he wished you a happy birthday that morning, and made breakfast in bed. Many kisses and snuggles were to be had, too. Despite what pop culture would have you think, it </span><em><span>is</span></em><span> okay to prove that you didn’t forget a birthday and throw a surprise party at the same time.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Then he sent you off to the palace, where Nadia (who knew about the party, of course) tasked you with research in the library.</span></li>
<li><span>Everyone was in on it. Portia redirected you away from certain areas of the palace. When you tried to send Alma on a reconnaissance mission, she came back just long enough to tell you that Nadi had a different mission for her so she couldn’t stay.</span></li>
<li><span>No one was specifically avoiding you, but everyone seemed to have suddenly adopted Asra’s fondness for being cryptic. You were about to interrogate someone when Asra came by to pick you up for lunch. In the ballroom, not the kitchen.</span></li>
<li><span>The ballroom was decorated all fancy, there was a lovely spread of all your favorite foods, and everyone was there. Even Muriel!</span></li>
<li><span>Everyone got you a gift. Well, technically Alma wasn’t the one who bought her gift for you, as she’s only six and doesn’t have pocket money, but she picked it out. (It was a particularly colorful scarf that you wore with pride.)</span></li>
<li><span>You ate and danced and generally had a great time.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Nadia planned your birthday for months ahead of time. Which would be excessive, if she wasn’t a busy woman with a schedule that was often booked for months in advance.</span></li>
<li><span>She set aside a day where there were no meetings, and got as much paperwork and whatnot done as she could the day before. No work was going to put a damper on this most wonderful of days.</span></li>
<li><span>You both slept in that morning. Then you had breakfast in bed. Alma may or may not have joined you at some point, squeezing in between you and Nadia. That was fine. You had the rest of the day to enjoy Nadia’s company on your own.</span></li>
<li><span>After breakfast came a bath and a game of dress-up as Nadia tried to decide what outfits you looked best in.</span></li>
<li><span>You took a nice, leisurely stroll through the market afterwards. Anything you wanted was bought and promptly sent to the Palace. Be careful with this power. You ran into many people from the neighborhood, who all wished you well.</span></li>
<li><span>The afternoon was spent doing whatever you wanted to do.</span></li>
<li><span>In the evening, there was a nice dinner party. Portia, Asra, Muriel, and as many of Nadia’s sisters that could attend were there.</span></li>
<li>I’m not saying there were fireworks after it got dark, but there were definitely fireworks.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Julian planned for your birthday for ages.</span></li>
<li><span>He spent weeks thinking about the perfect gift to buy for you. He consulted Asra, Nadia, Portia, Mazelinka, even Alma, for ideas. It had to be something that you’d cherish forever, and that would reflect how special you are to him. Anything less than perfect just wouldn’t do.</span></li>
<li><span>He took the day off to get things ready. You had the day off, too, but he insisted that you not lift a finger to help him. That was fine, until it was time to make the cake. Having him make it by himself was a disaster waiting to happen, and he still wouldn’t let you help…it was a stalemate for a while, until you suggested that Portia help make it when she came over that evening.</span></li>
<li><span>Until then, you had the entire afternoon to do things. It was similar to that all-day date you had with him all that time ago, but less chaotic and with Alma tagging along. You wandered all over the city together.</span></li>
<li><span>You ran into Asra at some point, and he joined you as well.</span></li>
<li><span>Technically, you didn’t have a party. But Mazelinka, Portia, and Asra came over for dinner, and then there was cake. You would have invited Nadia, too, but the apartment is already a little small for you, Julian, and Alma, let alone four guests. (She wished you well the next day at work.)</span></li>
<li><span>After everyone left and Alma was asleep, he gave you his carefully chosen present. Are you ready?</span></li>
<li><span>Matching enchanted necklaces. If you were to say “Find Julian”, the charm on the necklace would rise and point in the direction he is. His would do the same if he told it to find you.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Muriel and birthdays don’t mix well. He doesn’t really celebrate his, and even if he did, parties aren’t his thing. Still, he wants the day to be special, since it’s important to you.</span></li>
<li><span>He and Alma made breakfast for you together, and Inanna and Circe kept you in bed so that you couldn’t do much more than watch. It was immensely cute, watching the two of them work together.</span></li>
<li><span>Then you spent the morning in the city, of all places! Asra watched Alma while you and Muriel perused the Floating Market. He bought a scarf for you and very carefully wrapped it around your shoulders, blushing the entire time.</span></li>
<li><span>It was chilly, okay? (No, it wasn’t.)</span></li>
<li><span>Did you know there’s one particular spot in the woods where there’s a spring that stays warm all year round? Well, now you know! You spent a decent chunk of the afternoon hanging out there.</span></li>
<li><span>That evening, after another lovingly crafted dinner, he gave you another gift. An intricately carved pendant, depicting each member of your little family in a style similar to Khamgalai’s tapestries. It must have taken him ages to carve.</span></li>
<li><span>You cried.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Portia loves making you feel special, and your birthday provided a perfect occasion to do so.</span></li>
<li><span>You woke up to pancakes piled high with whipped cream and fresh berries. You, Alma, and Portia all ate together and it was very cozy.</span></li>
<li><span>Remember the fancy dates chapter? That’s pretty much what happened. You spent the day out on the town. Mazelinka babysat for you. (Alma came home knowing a little more about herbalism than you’d taught her.)</span></li>
<li><span>Dinner was had at the palace. All your people were there. There was cake. Lots of cake.</span></li>
<li><span>Portia gave you a locket that she’d charmed all by herself! When you opened it, it would project a little light show. To keep you company at work.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Your birthday is another excuse to spoil you absolutely rotten, for better or worse.</span></li>
<li><span>A massive breakfast in bed, long and incredibly luxurious bath, and mini fashion show kicked off the day.</span></li>
<li><span>Like with Nadia, you spent a fair amount of time wandering the markets of Vesuvia, where he bought you literally anything that caught your eye.</span></li>
<li><span>He could barely keep his hands to himself all day. Nothing inappropriate, of course, but there was hardly a moment where your arms weren’t linked or his arm wasn’t around your shoulders.</span></li>
<li><span>You spent way too much time prior to your birthday convincing Lucio to not throw a massive party like the Masquerade in your honor. The compromise was a smaller, but only slightly less extravagant, party. It’s only in the ballroom, since the only attendees were your inner circle.</span></li>
<li><span>So much cake. So much dancing, if you can call his rapid aimless spinning with you “dancing”. So many smooches.</span></li>
<li><span>He and Alma danced together at some point, while he was on the more sober side. It was adorable.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>He wasn’t sure what to do for your birthday, to be honest. He had to ask Asra what you usually did together. It wasn’t his proudest moment.</span></li>
<li><span>Alas, Asra’s methods of celebration were far too plebeian for his tastes. So the idea of celebrating the way you were used to was scrapped. He went to Nadia for advice instead.</span></li>
<li><span>Then you walked in on his planning and ruined whatever element of surprise there might have been. Only a minor setback. Now you could provide input.</span></li>
<li><span>He hosted a dinner party at the estate, careful to make sure that everything was to your liking. No expenses were to be spared.</span></li>
<li><span>It was very nice, having all your friends over, laughing and eating together. Even Valerius seemed to enjoy himself, even if he denied it when you asked.</span></li>
<li><span>After everyone left and the sun had gone down, you danced together in the garden. (Alma may or may not have watched from her bedroom window.) It was a particularly clear night, so it was only natural that he’d take advantage of it. That was the only reasoning he gave.</span></li>
<li><span>The next day when you went into your lab, there was an array of brand new, very high quality equipment for your research. You thanked him profusely the next time you saw him.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the late upload. It's been a particularly rough day.</p><p>Anyway, here we are, at 102 kudos and almost 4000 hits! Thank you all! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Harry Potter AU (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They're already in a fantasy world, but what if it was modern and they were all adolescents?</p><p>Requested by Long_Live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Ravenclaw (a conclusion I’ve come to after thinking it over for far too long)</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Pureblood, but not stuck-up about it. Like the Weasleys.</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: Faust, a light grey cat that’s often up to mischief</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Astronomy</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: History of Magic</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Owns a shop on Diagon Alley</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Ravenclaw</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Pureblood, indifferent about it</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: Chandra, a barn owl</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Transfiguration</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: Charms, but only because lessons always get rowdy and it’s hard to focus</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Ministry of Magic official</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Gryffindor</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Half-blood, magic on dad’s side</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: Malak, a poorly behaved black-banded owl</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Defense Against the Dark Arts</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: History of Magic</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Gringotts curse-breaker</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Hufflepuff</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Muggleborn</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: None, but only because his dog isn’t allowed</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Care of Magical Creatures</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: Transfiguration</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Wandmaker</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Hufflepuff</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Half-blood, magic on dad’s side</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: Pepi the cat</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Potions</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: Astronomy</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: St. Mungo’s Healer</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Slytherin</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Half-blood, magic on mom’s side. Plays up magic side</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: Camio, a loud owl that he <em>begged</em> for when he was 11</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: Flying/Quidditch</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: History of Magic</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Professional Quidditch player, much to his mother’s disapproval</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>House: Ravenclaw, but could pass for Slytherin too</span></li>
<li><span>Blood Status: Pureblood, mildly stuck-up about it</span></li>
<li><span>Pet: None</span></li>
<li><span>Best Class: History of Magic</span></li>
<li><span>Worst Class: Charms</span></li>
<li><span>Future Career: Ministry of Magic official</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I find it hard to imagine characters being younger than they're portrayed, which makes for a hilarious mental image of what a school day might look like here.</p><p>I hope you're all enjoying your days! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Short MC (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How would our dear LIs handle an MC who's even smaller than Portia?</p><p>Requested by BacktrackSoCasually</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Being small just means Asra can more effectively wrap himself around you when you cuddle. He’s such a koala.</span></li>
<li><span>He doesn’t tease you about it...much. Unless you’re insecure about your height, then there’s no teasing at all. Far be it from him to make you uncomfortable.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s always ready to grab something high up for you, just say the word! Or, if you’re adamant about your independence, a step stool is always at the ready. He painted it himself.</span></li>
<li><span>Kisses on the top of your head are to be expected.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s always mildly paranoid about losing you in a crowd, though. Oh no, I guess you just need to hold hands! How tragic.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Height is a trivial matter to Nadia. It doesn’t really matter to her how short you are...but she does like how unbearably adorable you are.</span></li>
<li><span>She likes how perfectly you fit in her arms. Having you right there is exactly what she needs after a long day.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve noticed a lot more ladders in the palace. The cool ones that have wheels.</span></li>
<li><span>If anyone degrades you for your height, they are met with the Death Glare.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>If you thought Julian was cuddly with an average height partner, it only gets worse when you’re even shorter than Portia. He </span><em><span>adores</span></em><span> wrapping his arms around you and holding you to his chest.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Speaking of his chest, that’s about where you come up to. It’s your personal pillow/headrest whenever you need it.</span></li>
<li><span>He is your designated top-shelf-reacher, whether you like it or not. There’s a step stool for when he isn’t around, though.</span></li>
<li><span>Kisses are kind of awkward, but you’ve gotten the hang of it.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Muriel is protective of the few people he’s close to, and you’re no exception. If anything, he’s even more protective of you. You’re so small, what if you got </span><em><span>hurt</span></em><span>, or lost-</span>
</li>
<li><span>He’s very, very careful with you. He’s so much bigger than you and he doesn’t want to accidentally hurt you.</span></li>
<li><span>You like wrapping yourself up in his cloak because it’s just so big. He’ll never say it because he’s awful with words, but he thinks it’s cute.</span></li>
<li><span>Once, when you were in the city, you stayed under his cloak, clinging like a koala while he made his way to the shop. It was really fun and very warm. (Asra laughed so hard when he figured out where you were.)</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Portia isn’t used to being taller than someone. It caught her off-guard at first, then she </span><em><span>loved</span></em><span> it.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Forehead kisses! Lots of forehead and nose kisses!</span></li>
<li><span>She’s the big spoon, if you want her to be. It’s not something she’s accustomed to, but she likes it now.</span></li>
<li><span>It’s a lot easier to scoop you up, as opposed to someone tall. As such, it happens frequently.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You’re a powerful, cute, hotshot magician, and your size makes you even cuter!</span></li>
<li><span>...Although he is definitely the kind of person to jokingly use you as an armrest. Whether or not you smack him for it is up to you.</span></li>
<li><span>Piggyback rides. So many piggyback rides. He doesn’t wear all extra armor on his gold arm specifically for your benefit, so that he can carry you around without risking hurting you.</span></li>
<li><span>If ever anyone criticizes you for your height, he very loudly extols your every virtue until they stop.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius is rather indifferent about your height. Okay, so he may have made light of it, once, shortly after you met him. But that was before he realized how amazing you are, and he has since apologized.</span></li>
<li><span>Now if anyone makes fun of you, they earn that look of utter disdain. More likely than not, embarrassing gossip about the offender mysteriously makes the rounds again after you’ve been insulted. He’ll always deny starting it, not that you believe it.</span></li>
<li><span>There’s step stools in every room in the estate, as he can’t always be around to reach things for you. Which he does, and quietly enjoys.</span></li>
<li><span>“It’s crowded here. Hold my hand, witch.” “It’s not that crowded-” “I don’t want you to get lost. Hold my hand.” “...Ohhhh.”</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not the longest today. Hope you like this one! The struggles of being short aren't anything I'm familiar with at all, but I think I did okay.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. How They Dance With You (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Title.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Asra </span><em><span>loves</span></em><span> dancing with you. It comes so naturally.</span>
</li>
<li><span>His favorite dance style is definitely swing. It’s so energetic and fun! (You don’t know where he learned it, and he can’t quite remember, either.)</span></li>
<li><span>If slow dancing is a little more your speed, that’s fine too! Just be ready to be held very close and receive many kisses.</span></li>
<li><span>Dancing together? In the shop? While dinner cooks? There couldn’t be anything better.</span></li>
<li><span>Faust tries to join in sometimes. No, I don’t know how that would work.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Dancing is one of her guilty pleasures. She loves dancing with you, though she doesn’t have the opportunity to do it nearly as often as she’d like.</span></li>
<li><span>The Palatial Dance is her favorite to do with you, but when it comes to traditional ballroom dances, she’s partial to waltz and tango.</span></li>
<li><span>She knows exactly how you dance, and adjusts to match, even though she’s usually the one leading.</span></li>
<li><span>Everything else falls away when you dance together and it’s absolute bliss.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Any time there’s music, your dear doctor will inevitably end up dancing to it. That’s just how things go.</span></li>
<li>
<span>Tango is by far his favorite ballroom style. He’ll teach it to you, if you’d like! The basic step isn’t </span><em><span>too</span></em><span> hard.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Where he learned it is anyone’s guess, though.</span></li>
<li><span>Dancing up on a table with him is...interesting. Mostly because the tables usually aren’t big enough for his preferred dances, so he has to improvise. Please don’t fall.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Nope. Nope nope nope.</span></li>
<li><span>He doesn’t dance. At all.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve tried.</span></li>
<li><span>Maybe, if you’re lucky and put on your best pair of puppy eyes, you can teach him a little bit. Maybe. Nothing complicated, though.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Portia loves dancing! She’s not the best, and she doesn’t really know any traditional ballroom styles, but that isn’t going to stop her!</span></li>
<li><span>She’ll teach you dances from Nevivon if you want! They’re fun and energetic.</span></li>
<li><span>And best done on a table, according to her. Again, please don’t fall.</span></li>
<li><span>She isn’t particular about who leads.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Okay, so, technically, he knows a lot of ballroom dances. Being Count will do that. He’s not half bad, too.</span></li>
<li><span>He just...doesn’t always follow the steps. Not exactly. He’s prone to going a lot faster than any sane person would.</span></li>
<li><span>When he actually does slow down and do things properly, he’s really good.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s best at a nice, classic waltz. </span></li>
<li><span>(He does hold you a lot closer than people usually do when dancing, thus getting your feet tangled up every now and then.)</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Of course Valerius knows how to dance. How dare you insinuate otherwise!</span></li>
<li><span>In truth, he only really knows the theory. He doesn’t dance at events, always too busy looking down his nose. (His dry criticism of fashion choices is rather entertaining, to be honest.)</span></li>
<li><span>But he’ll dance with you, if you want. He’s decent at it.</span></li>
<li><span>Smooch him while you dance. He turns very red.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one was fun. Lucio's is inspired by the paid dancing scene in one of his chapters (I can't remember which chapter) and also when you dance with him during the winter tale.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. When They're Sick (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Your poor dears are sick! Oh no!</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Asra has a pretty good immune system from all his travelling.</span></li>
<li><span>However, that means that when he does get sick, it’s usually with something bad.</span></li>
<li><span>If you thought he napped a lot normally, it gets ten times worse when he’s sick. Which is a good thing, for once; if he’s asleep, he can recover a little faster.</span></li>
<li><span>He also gets even more snuggly when he isn’t feeling well, and is very vocal about it when he’s awake. There is no escape from his arms and you’re probably going to get sick too.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>She has the weakest immune system out of all the LIs.</span></li>
<li><span>She’s had colds become sinus infections before. Not because of anything she is or isn’t doing to treat the cold, just because of her crappy immune system.</span></li>
<li><span>You have to convince her to rest when she’s sick with something mild. She’ll still do paperwork in bed though.</span></li>
<li><span>If she’s sick with something more serious, either Julian or Nazali will be called in. At this point, Nadia is too sick to protest having Nazali there. They take good care of her, anyway.</span></li>
<li><span>You’re careful to make sure Nadia’s every need is met when she’s sick. Not that she’s particularly demanding. Mostly she just wants your company.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Doctor’s don’t get sick, my dear.</span></li>
<li><span>...Doctors definitely do get sick. He doesn’t get actually sick very often, though. But when he does, he has this awful tendency to hide it from you.</span></li>
<li><span>You’ve threatened to magically knock him out until he’s completely recovered, because he won’t stop trying to get up and do things. You’ve only actually done it once, so far.</span></li>
<li><span>You’re a very dutiful nurse when he’s sick. He’ll (reluctantly) tell you which medicines to get and how much to give him. Just don’t be away from him too long, he gets lonely.</span></li>
<li><span>There was this one time where he had a particularly bad fever and forgot that you were married. That was endlessly hilarious.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Muriel has the best immune system out of everyone here. Coupled with rarely being around people, he pretty much never gets sick. You get sick more often than he does, even if you have a good immune system.</span></li>
<li><span>On the rare occasion when he does get sick, though, he tends to vomit. It doesn’t even matter what kind of sickness it is, it always ends up upsetting his stomach, too. You have no idea how that works.</span></li>
<li><span>He straight up asks for snuggles when he’s sick. You just need to be careful about it because, again, he’s prone to throwing up.</span></li>
<li><span>There are plenty of herbal remedies to settle his stomach, though. Use them so he can sleep. Please.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Unlike her brother, she isn’t afraid to admit when she’s sick. It doesn’t happen too terribly often, thankfully.</span></li>
<li><span>She stays home when she gets sick, even if it’s just a mild cold. She can’t risk Nadia getting sick from her.</span></li>
<li><span>Mazelinka’s magic folk remedies come in handy here. Colds rarely last more than a day.</span></li>
<li><span>More serious sicknesses have you fluttering around her like a mother hen. She thinks it’s cute.</span></li>
<li><span>Pepi and Circe take up residence in bed with her. The three of them take many naps together.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Lucio is an odd case when it comes to being sick. He has a good immune system, second only to Muriel. But, like I mentioned before, the Plague left him with a terrible fear of getting sick.</span></li>
<li><span>Luckily, he doesn’t get sick much. When he does, though, he has two modes: terribly anxious and dramatically milking it. He’s been known to switch between these two multiple times a day.</span></li>
<li><span>He insists on you being with him as much as possible. Which, while mildly annoying when you have work to do, is actually probably for the best. He’s a lot calmer with you around.</span></li>
<li><span>If he’s seriously sick, he’ll call in Julian. Pay him well, and help him out if you can.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s the most likely to get you sick.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius is just as bad as Julian when it comes to denying that he’s not feeling well. However, he doesn’t get sick very often, as the estate and palace are usually kept pretty clean.</span></li>
<li><span>When he does, he doesn’t often tell you right away. You figure out anyway, and keep him home. Again, you need to keep Nadia from getting sick.</span></li>
<li>
<span>If it’s nothing serious, he does as much work as he can from home. You can’t convince him otherwise, and it’s not worth arguing over. If it’s more serious, confine him to the bed and use magic to make him sleep, or else he’ll try to at least </span><em><span>read</span></em><span> some paperwork instead of rest. He’s quite a stubborn ram.</span>
</li>
<li><span>He won’t admit it, but you acting as a nurse for him is something he finds incredibly endearing.</span></li>
<li><span>Circe sits on his chest sometimes.</span></li>
</ul><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Bonus! Alma</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Alma doesn’t get sick too often. Which is good, because every time it does happen, you get rather stressed.</span></li>
<li><span>You take off work and wait on her hand and foot. Anything she wants, you’ll get for her. </span></li>
<li><span>Circe stays with her while you’re getting things for her...not that you’re gone for very long.</span></li>
<li><span>She likes it when you tell her stories and illustrate them with magic. Her favorite stories are the ones of how you defeated the Devil.</span></li>
<li><span>She has a tendency to fall asleep on you when she isn’t feeling well. The "don't disturb a sleeping cat" principle goes into effect. You're now trapped until she wakes up.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I tried to make sure this was at least a little different from others like this...</p><p>Anyway, bonus Almas are great~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. When You're Sick (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Now you're sick! What rotten luck.</p><p>Requested by IAmTheHero</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asra</p><ul>
<li>Asra turns into a worried mother whenever you’re sick. Seriously, he sounds just like Aisha, but with a deeper voice.</li>
<li>He wasn’t here for the plague, and look what happened then. He isn’t going to let anything like that happen again.</li>
<li>Even a mild cold gets you bundled up and told to stay in bed.</li>
<li>Anything you ask, he’ll do...in between snuggling you into oblivion, that is.</li>
<li>He’s probably the most likely to get sick from you.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Nadia</p><ul>
<li>Because of Nadia’s poor immune system, she has to keep her distance from you when you’re sick.</li>
<li>She sends Chandra and Portia to watch over you in her stead. It’s the best she can do.</li>
<li>She’ll send notes to you all day. Circe carries them back and forth. It’s very sweet.</li>
<li>If needed, she has Julian brought in to take care of you. Maybe Nazali, if they’re in town. Only the best for you.</li>
<li>Once you’re better, she makes up for missed cuddles.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Julian</p><ul>
<li>Contrary to popular belief and his jokes, Julian actually does know how to take care of people without resorting to bloodletting. So whenever you get sick, you’re in good hands.</li>
<li>Plenty of bedrest, fluids, gentle foods, and cuddles.</li>
<li>If you’re really badly sick, he cuts the theatrics and goes into doctor-patient mode. It’s...weird, being treated like a patient instead of a spouse. It’s for his own sanity, though; otherwise he’d worry himself into quite the mess.</li>
<li>One of the least likely to get sick from you, probably second only to Muriel. He’s very careful.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Muriel</p><ul>
<li>You’re confined to the hut whenever you get sick. There isn’t really a lot you can do there to make your illness worse there, so staying in bed would only be a formality.</li>
<li>Since he doesn’t get sick hardly ever, Muriel doesn’t really know what to do when you get sick with more than just a cold or stomach bug. Asra can come over to help if you’re more sick than that.</li>
<li>Snuggles. Ask for lots of snuggles. He will provide them.</li>
<li>Inanna will stay with you when he inevitably has outdoor chores to do. She’s very soft and warm.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Portia</p><ul>
<li>Portia is the cutest little nurse whenever you’re sick!</li>
<li>She has an arsenal of magic and non-magic remedies at the ready, and checks in on you to make sure you’re taking them. She knows they don’t always taste good, so she’ll provide better tasting drinks and snacks to wash them down with.</li>
<li>No, you can’t catch up on paperwork, you need to rest.</li>
<li>If it’s a more serious sickness, Mazelinka is called in. Portia is usually instructed to do things around the house or focus on the cats at this point, lest she work herself up worrying over you.</li>
<li>Somehow she makes even the simplest meals taste good, even when it’s difficult to taste or when you don’t feel much like eating. It’s impressive.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Lucio</p><ul>
<li>So...you getting sick has this nasty tendency to make him frantic. On one hand, he doesn’t want to get sick from you (even though he probably won’t), but on the other, <em>oh crap, you’re sick and he needs to be with you every waking moment to make sure you’re okay</em>-</li>
<li>You thought you were spoiled before? Your every whim is fulfilled when you’re sick. Use this power wisely.</li>
<li>If you’re seriously sick, he might take a leaf out of Valdemar’s book and wear a mask, just to be safe. He never saw them get sick, so it has to work, right? (You had to remind him that Valdemar is a demon and works differently.)</li>
<li>Lots of snuggles, more for his benefit than your own. He’s very worried.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Valerius</p><ul>
<li>Valerius works from home whenever you get sick. As long as you’re not too sick, you can stay in his office with him. He doesn’t mind, and he wants to keep an eye on you.</li>
<li>...You sitting there, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, reading a book, is a lot cuter and more distracting than he’ll ever admit.</li>
<li>He’ll get flustered if you ask to snuggle him (which is nothing new or unusual), but he’ll indulge you. He does want you to be comfortable, after all.</li>
<li>More serious illnesses require his personal physician and a proper day off for him. Loathe as he is to say it, he isn’t the best equipped to handle a bad sickness alone.</li>
<li>He’ll usually end up reading to you in bed whenever you’re sick, keeping your head on his lap or shoulder--whichever you prefer. You might fall asleep on him, though.</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Bonus! Alma</p><ul>
<li>Alma isn’t around you much when you’re sick, because you don’t want her to catch it. Magic lessons are taken over by one of the Alnazars until further notice.</li>
<li>She asks Portia or Aisha to help her make cookies for you. And sends her favorite stuffed animal to help you feel better.</li>
<li>Stars, she is just. The cutest. Ever.</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thirty-two chapters already, wow.</p><p>More bonus Alma! She's trying her best.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Honey, I Shrunk Myself (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Apparently, disastrous spell results are an occupational hazard of being the Court Magician, who knew?</p><p>Requested by Fuzzyclaw.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Okay, so, what happened was that you were experimenting with making things bigger, and made a book too big. So naturally, you shrunk it, but you misspoke, and the shrinking spell affected you, too. You were pocket-sized now!</span></li>
<li><span>...And now you were too small to see the spellbook to make yourself big again.</span></li>
<li><span>Asra came back with lunch and found you trying to climb the desk. He picked you up and asked you to explain the situation.</span></li>
<li><span>He quickly convinced you that it would be fun to stay small for a little while!</span></li>
<li><span>He carried you around in his scarf for a solid hour, during which time you worked on eating a cookie, which was now massive to you. (You got a quarter of the way in and gave up, too full to continue.)</span></li>
<li><span>He turned you back that evening. It was a fun afternoon, though! Especially because you got to spook Julian.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Remember how last time a spell backfired, Nadia got you an assistant? So that you wouldn’t get into more trouble? Yeah, that ended up not being very effective.</span></li>
<li><span>Your assistant frantically scooped you up after you shrunk yourself, and went to Nadia for advice. You weren’t particularly pleased, but it wasn’t like you could do a lot about it.</span></li>
<li><span>Nadia wasn’t pleased either. You got scolded, and Asra was alerted. (You should send him some form of compensation for all the messes he’s gotten you out of.)</span></li>
<li><span>Then she kept you with her while you waited. She couldn’t deny that you were quite cute. She fed you little treats while you watched her do paperwork.</span></li>
<li><span>You dozed on her desk at one point. It was adorable.</span></li>
<li><span>You didn’t stay small too long, as Asra was over in the evening. Nadia didn’t scold you further after you were back to normal, but you did have to promise to be even more careful in the future.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Julian actually beheld the mishap this time. You’d been trying to make some furniture smaller so that the two of you could rearrange the shop more easily, when suddenly, poof! You were tiny!</span></li>
<li><span>Tiny and very embarrassed, because Julian thought you were the. Cutest. Thing. Ever.</span></li>
<li><span>Your plans were set aside for the time being. He just had to take advantage of being able to carry you around on his shoulder. In Malak’s spot, but he was only indignant for a little bit.</span></li>
<li><span>He was rather enamored with you. Enough that it got mildly annoying. You threatened to shrink him too, and see how he liked it.</span></li>
<li><span>You figured out how to get back to your usual size after a few hours, to his vocal dismay.</span></li>
<li><span>This day was swiftly added to his list of tales he would repeat often, with more embellishments each time.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You’d come home rather excited about this particular spell, and were eager to demonstrate it to Muriel. Theoretically, it would make it easier to weed the garden he’d been trying to implement.</span></li>
<li><span>You were too excited, though, and the spell backfired. In the blink of an eye, you were barely larger than a baby chicken.</span></li>
<li><span>If you thought his hands were big before, they’re massive now. You looked even tinier when he picked you up.</span></li>
<li><span>He brought you straight to Asra. You held on to his cloak.</span></li>
<li><span>Asra looked for a reversal spell and you sat patiently on Muriel’s shoulder. He tried not to stare at you much, but...you were cute.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You were mildly sick, and it was making your magic do funny things. Portia was taking care of you, and doing a very good job, as usual! Then you sneezed, somehow triggered your magic, and shrunk.</span></li>
<li><span>So now you were tiny, as well as sick. Which complicated taking medicine.</span></li>
<li><span>After getting over her initial surprise, though, Portia thought you were the cutest! I mean, she already thinks you are, but now you were even cuter! Which shouldn’t be possible, but you’d managed it.</span></li>
<li><span>Unfortunately, neither of you had any idea how to fix it.</span></li>
<li><span>You napped while Portia went through some of your spellbooks, looking for how to turn you back. She couldn’t find anything, though.</span></li>
<li><span>Turns out you didn’t need it, though; the transformation reversed when you sneezed again, hours later.</span></li>
<li><span>You made sure to get something that would dampen your magic when you got sick.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>This particular mishap is one he can take part of the blame for. He distracted you while you were trying to focus, and you ended up shrinking...both of you.</span></li>
<li><span>Yes, now you were both no larger than one of Alma’s smaller toys.</span></li>
<li><span>Lucio found this rather amusing, at first. He rode around on Mercedes’s back for a while, because why not? However, later, he almost got squished by a hurried servant who couldn’t quite see where they were stepping. It wasn’t so fun then.</span></li>
<li><span>Unfortunately, you couldn’t just snap your fingers and fix everything. Melchior gave you a boost so you could get onto your desk again. Turning spellbook pages wasn’t an easy task, but you managed to find the spell you needed to get big again.</span></li>
<li><span>It didn’t take long for Lucio to dramatically retell the story to literally anyone who would listen. It was greatly exaggerated.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Valerius didn’t know how this happened, and he didn’t want to know. All he knew is that he went to get you for a meeting, and when he got to your lab, you were small enough to sit in his wine glass.</span></li>
<li><span>Which you didn’t do, because you asked to ride in his scarf instead when he went to go inform Nadia.</span></li>
<li><span>You were both dismissed from meetings for the day, in favor of figuring out how to get you back to normal. He was a very good means of transportation, and helped you reach...literally everything.</span></li>
<li><span>At one point, you started getting hungry. Which would have been fine, if he knew how best to feed a tiny you. You couldn’t exactly have a normal portion of food, but what if you didn’t eat enough and fainted when you were back to normal?</span></li>
<li><span>You had a difficult time snapping him out of his concern. You eventually got it through to him that a nice, big cookie would work just fine for now, and you could eat more later.</span></li>
<li><span>You turned yourself back to normal in the evening. He grumpily advised you to be more careful in the future, since this sort of thing keeps happening. You can make no promises.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is late and I'm sorry, I'm readjusting to not being on winter break.</p><p>I think I'm going to take ten more requests and then take a break to recharge for a while. Don't know for how long, unfortunately. Anyway, if there's anything you want to see, tell me now!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Animal Transformation: Part 2 (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First, you turned into an animal. Now, your partner has turned into an animal! Oh joy.</p><p>Requested by Long_Live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>This was one mishap you didn’t actually have a hand in.</span></li>
<li><span>You weren’t feeling too hot one day, so Asra graciously took over Alma’s lessons while you watched. It seemed to be going really well!</span></li>
<li><span>Then Alma overcorrected a spell. Asra was encased in a cloud of lavender-colored smoke.</span></li>
<li><span>When it cleared, there was a white fox with purple eyes in his place. Alma freaked out.</span></li>
<li><span>You calmed her down with the promise of sweets later (you couldn’t think of anything else) and sent her off to entertain herself for a bit while you figured out how to fix this.</span></li>
<li><span>Asra...didn’t seem too keen on changing back. On the contrary, he was enjoying distracting you from looking for a reversal spell.</span></li>
<li><span>Once you finally found the right spell, it was a hassle to catch him so you could actually cast it on him.</span></li>
<li><span>Eventually you cornered him and cast the spell faster than he could run away again. He turned back and immediately started laughing.</span></li>
<li><span>“I guess you could say I’m pretty foxy, huh?”</span></li>
<li><span>You didn’t humor him with a response.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You were having dinner with Nadia one evening, when she started feeling unwell.</span></li>
<li><span>You were bringing her back to your chambers when you caught sight of a tiny, auburn colored owl frantically flying toward you.</span></li>
<li><span>Remember how Nadia appointed Volta as her royal taste-tester? Yeah. Turns out someone had tried to poison Nadia, but used a transformation potion instead. How that happened is something you don’t want to know.</span></li>
<li><span>You changed course.</span></li>
<li><span>Shortly after getting to your lab, Nadia turned into an owl. A very pretty brown owl with red eyes and tyrian purple markings.</span></li>
<li><span>Nadia and Chandra waited patiently while you worked on an antidote potion. It took a long time because you didn’t know the exact potion that she’d taken.</span></li>
<li><span>After a few attempts, you were pretty confident that you’d gotten it right, and lo and behold, it worked!</span></li>
<li><span>You were so relieved.</span></li>
<li><span>A castle-wide investigation was enacted the next morning to figure out what had happened.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>One morning, Julian got to thinking.</span></li>
<li><span>He was recalling how you taught him a bit of magic ages ago, during the whole Devil fiasco. Maybe you could teach him a little more? Just for the fun of it?</span></li>
<li><span>You agreed, under the condition that he pay very careful attention to your instructions.</span></li>
<li>
<span>...The thing is, you just looked so cute when you were explaining things! How could anyone </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> get distracted?</span>
</li>
<li><span>To your dear husband’s credit, he did listen to most of what you said. But he was distracted when he cast the spell, and it quite literally blew up in his face.</span></li>
<li><span>You ended up with not one, but two very agitated ravens. One was Malak, and the other was...oh no.</span></li>
<li><span>Neither bird would leave you alone while you tried to reverse the spell. You had to restart too many times to count.</span></li>
<li>
<span>You </span><em><span>finally</span></em><span> cast the spell properly. Julian turned back in midair and landed hard on his backside.</span>
</li>
<li><span>...Yeah, never again.</span></li>
<li><span>Strangely enough, Julian seemed to understand Malak better after this incident, though.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You were testing out a magical compound at home. You weren’t entirely sure what it did, so you were trying to figure that out.</span></li>
<li><span>Muriel came in and looked over your things and he accidentally inhaled some of the powder while you were doing something else. He sneezed, and suddenly there was an abnormally large badger in his place.</span></li>
<li><span>You, understandably, were a little freaked out. Whatever you’d thought the compound did, it...wasn’t that. And you didn’t understand how it worked, so you couldn’t reverse it…</span></li>
<li><span>You brought the powder and Muriel to your lab. Circe kept Muriel company while you frantically tried to reverse-engineer the compound.</span></li>
<li><span>It took hours. You were working well into the night. By the time you came up with an antidote, you were thoroughly exhausted.</span></li>
<li><span>Muriel carried you back to the hut after he turned back.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>So, Portia was practicing magic on her own one afternoon. Which was fine, you trusted her.</span></li>
<li><span>It wasn’t until lunchtime that you started getting concerned. You usually ate lunch together, but she was running horribly late. So you went to look for her.</span></li>
<li><span>Instead of finding your wife in the cottage, you found Pepi, Circe, and an auburn rabbit, all playing together.</span></li>
<li><span>Circe informed you of the situation. Portia had accidentally turned herself into a rabbit and didn’t know how to turn herself back. But it was okay, because she liked being a rabbit! It was fun!</span></li>
<li><span>You let it continue for a while, since she didn’t seem particularly upset. She and the cats ran around in the garden for a while.</span></li>
<li><span>Eventually, all three of them got tired out around the same time. You turned Portia back while she was sleeping and joined the cuddle party on your bed.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Lucio’s transformation wasn’t actually an accident. He’d asked you to do it, in fact. His transformation into a white borzoi was completely planned.</span></li>
<li>
<span>You just weren’t anticipating how </span><em><span>badly</span></em><span> it went.</span>
</li>
<li><span>The spell itself went just fine. It turned out, however, that Lucio is a rather poorly behaved dog.</span></li>
<li><span>You spent the entire day chasing after Lucio, Mercedes, and Melchior, cleaning up the messes they got into.</span></li>
<li>
<span>It was </span><em><span>exhausting</span></em><span>. Lucio, on the other hand, loved being able to play with his dogs.</span>
</li>
<li><span>At dinnertime, you turned him back so he could eat with you. Except for by that time, you were too tired from magic usage and running around that you couldn’t eat. You couldn’t do much more than fall asleep, really.</span></li>
<li><span>Lucio put you to bed, then went and had a steak.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You were working on a potion that would turn someone into a deer. Why? Because Alma wanted to know if it was possible.</span></li>
<li><span>So that’s what you were doing when Valerius came into your lab, seeking relief after a tedious meeting.</span></li>
<li><span>It happened that not long after he came in, the potion started boiling. He was too close, and some of the extremely hot potion got on him as it threatened to boil over.</span></li>
<li><span>So now both of you were stressed. You put out the fire under the cauldron and turned your attention to him.</span></li>
<li><span>You did what you could to get the potion off of him, but he turned into a stag before you could completely clean him off.</span></li>
<li><span>This was...not good. Not good at all. Having a fully grown stag in the castle, let alone a panicked one, wasn’t exactly going to be received well.</span></li>
<li><span>So you teleported the both of you out onto the grounds. That was the best you could do.</span></li>
<li><span>While you were still trying to figure out how to calm him down enough for you to try and turn him back, the spell wore off on its own.</span></li>
<li><span>...You both went home and took a nap. There’s only so much excitement you can handle in one day.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for the silence this month! I had writer's block something awful and couldn't think of ANYTHING to write.</p><p>7 more request spots open!! Get 'em while they're hot!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chronic Migraines (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Migraines suck. But your spouse knows just what to do.</p><p>Requested by Queen_Falael</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Asra found out about your migraines not too long after you actually became friends, years before the plague. He spent...probably way too long developing a potion that would help.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s long since learned all the signs that mean a migraine is coming on.</span></li>
<li><span>I’ve mentioned that he’s a mother hen. With your migraines, that translates to getting you water and that pain relief potion as soon as you start showing symptoms.</span></li>
<li><span>Plenty of rest is literally required. He will not budge. Please lay down. With your head in his lap, of course.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Migraines are something Nadia is all too familiar with. So she knows just what to do for you.</span></li>
<li>
<span>She gets the best medicines for you, so that it’s not </span><em><span>completely</span></em><span> unbearable.</span>
</li>
<li><span>All your meetings are postponed or cancelled when you have a migraine so you can rest until you feel better.</span></li>
<li><span>She’ll take time off and massage the pressure points in your head, if it helps. (Did you know there ARE pressure points in your head? I didn’t until today)</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Our dearest doctor is well aware of the tells for an oncoming migraine.</span></li>
<li><span>Here’s what you’re going to do, darling, you’re going to take this medicine and go lay down, okay?</span></li>
<li><span>He keeps you on a rather strict schedule as far as pain relief goes.</span></li>
<li><span>Also, cuddles. Lots of them. Provided you want them.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>The first time you had a migraine with Muriel, he had no idea what was going on.</span></li>
<li><span>Now that he knows what this is, he’s careful to make sure you have plenty of natural remedies.</span></li>
<li><span>Lay down on him. It’s...definitely for your health. 100%.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Portia treats your migraines much the same as any other illness you might have.</span></li>
<li><span>Magic or non-magic remedies are at the ready, plenty of rest so you don’t make it worse, cuddles or pressure point massages if you need it.</span></li>
<li><span>She learned what leads up to your migraines and watches out for it as much as possible.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>What is a migraine? Like, a really really bad headache? Okay, he can deal with that.</span></li>
<li><span>He gets the most high-end pain relief he can for you. There’s no point in trying to use anything less expensive. He insists.</span></li>
<li><span>Resting while your head hurts so much isn’t hard. The hard part is getting Lucio to stop talking while you do so. It’s nothing against him, really...but you just need quiet.</span></li>
<li><span>You once had to magically take away his voice for a bit. He wasn’t particularly happy about it. You apologized later.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Honestly, Valerius </span><em><span>almost</span></em><span> envies your migraines, because it gets you out of meetings. He isn’t a huge fan of meetings.</span>
</li>
<li><span>If a migraine strikes while at work and going home isn’t reasonable, you’ll just have to take some medicine and rest in his office. It’s very quiet there.</span></li>
<li>Anyone who <em><span>dares</span></em><span> knock on the door is ignored. Same with anyone who requests your presence. The Court Magician is in dire need of rest, not being pestered by everyone who thinks they can interrupt.</span>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry about how late this is!!! I ended up being really busy after the last chapter and didn't have time to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Angry Crier (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You cry when you're angry. It happens.</p><p>Requested by BacktrackSoCasually.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>You don’t get too mad when it’s just you, Asra, Alma, and the familiars. But when you do, Asra’s quick to offer tissues.</span></li>
<li><span>He really doesn’t like seeing you cry, but...well, often when you’re angry, he’s angry too. So he can’t really distract you.</span></li>
<li><span>You know how you can barely talk when you cry, and it gets frustrating? Whenever that happens, he’s very patient with you. Take your time getting your point across, forcing it doesn’t help.</span></li>
<li><span>After a long day of frustrating work as Court Magician, it’s good to fall into his understanding arms and cry it out.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>The first time Nadia saw you angry was during the whole Devil fiasco. You were incredibly worked up, and next thing she knew, you were crying. She...wasn’t prepared for it.</span></li>
<li><span>She’s a lot better at handling it now, though.</span></li>
<li><span>Obviously, if you get frustrated with snooty nobles in the middle of a meeting, she can’t exactly hold you until you feel better. However, the offending party is swiftly shut down.</span></li>
<li><span>When you’re not in a meeting, though? She allows you to rant and sob as much as you need, providing many tissues.</span></li>
<li><span>While she usually wants to provide solutions to your problems, she waits until you’ve gotten everything out of your system before suggesting anything.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Surprisingly enough, Julian isn’t half bad at distracting you when you’re so angry you start crying. Says he had to learn how to distract people quickly when Pasha was little.</span></li>
<li><span>(Considering that his first attempt to distract you is always letting a few shirt buttons open, the validity of this statement is questionable.)</span></li>
<li><span>Occasionally, he’ll try to finish your sentences… He means well, but he’s almost never right. He has to be reminded to stop talking sometimes.</span></li>
<li><span>He gives great, calming hugs, though. Which is definitely a plus.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Muriel has never really been sure what to do when someone’s crying. So when you were in the South, and you started crying because you were so angry at the situation? He sort of froze up.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He’s still not the </span><em><span>best</span></em><span> at it. What he generally does is let you rant as much as you can, and then lets you cuddle up with him while you wind down.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Sometimes he’ll offer you some water. Mostly he just listens, though.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>I doubt it would surprise anyone to know that Portia tends to be an angry crier as well.</span></li>
<li><span>Theoretically, this should mean that she knows just what to do, right? Not…exactly. Portia is also rather empathetic, so if you’re angry, she’s going to be angry too. Which means you’ll both be crying before long.</span></li>
<li><span>She cries more than you do, though, so whenever you’re calmer, you can work on helping her calm down too.</span></li>
<li><span>Then you drink lots of water and start actually problem-solving, if you need to.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li>
<span>Unsurprisingly, the first time Lucio saw you so angry you cried was because you were angry at him. You can’t remember </span><em><span>why </span></em><span>you were mad anymore, just that you were. He was very caught off-guard.</span>
</li>
<li><span>These days, he’s better at handling it...but only if you’re mad at someone else. If you’re angry at him, he still has no idea what to do. If it’s someone else though? He’s great at goofing off and distracting you.</span></li>
<li><span>When distracting you isn’t helping, he’ll listen to your teary rambling...maybe a bit uncomfortably, but he’s doing his best.</span></li>
<li><span>He does make sure to get you water, though. Dehydration isn’t fun! He probably knows this from experience, let’s be honest.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>We all know Valerius isn’t a particularly emotional man. Crying? Perish the thought. So you crying when you’re angry isn’t something he’s familiar with at all.</span></li>
<li><span>He’s figured out what to do, though. Once again, you’re brought back to his office to calm down. He’ll listen to your blubbering, and offer solutions where he can. If you’re lucky, he’ll let you drink water out of his wine glass.</span></li>
<li>
<span>(Why does he still have that glass anyway? You’re trying to get him to </span><em><span>stop</span></em><span> drinking…)</span>
</li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It is currently 10:37 at night and I JUST finished. My apologies for the lateness, and possible lack of quality.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Vesuvia University (Main Six + Valerius)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Our lovely LIs as college students!</p><p>Requested by Long_Live_Queen_Creativity.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Asra</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Psychology major <strike>Why? Because I couldn't think of anything better</strike></span></li>
<li><span>Somehow managed to get approval for his snake to live on campus</span></li>
<li><span>Definitely has gotten a unicorn Frappuccino from the campus Starbucks, where he also probably works</span></li>
<li><span>Seems to sleep exclusively during classes</span></li>
<li><span>Gets good grades anyway</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nadia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Engineering major</span></li>
<li><span>Is there on a full ride scholarship that she more than earned</span></li>
<li><span>Perfect at time management, helps you with homework</span></li>
<li><span>All-night study sessions? No need for such extreme measures. Reviewing her notes the night before is fine</span></li>
<li><span>Probably top student</span></li>
<li><span>Lives for holiday breaks because even Nadi gets stressed and needs breaks okay</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Med school student, studying pediatrics</span></li>
<li><span>Wears an eyepatch whenever possible because he’s Extra, not really because he needs it</span></li>
<li><span>Running on multiple cups of coffee at all times, how has he not just collapsed yet?</span></li>
<li><span>All-nighters are regular occurrences</span></li>
<li><span>Probably lives on ramen</span></li>
<li><span>Comes home on breaks and straight up hibernates</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muriel</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Studying to be a veterinarian!</span></li>
<li><span>Doesn’t drink coffee. Caffeinated teas, however, are another story</span></li>
<li><span>Hangs out at a quiet little coffee shop that’s almost always empty</span></li>
<li><span>Friends with everyone’s dogs</span></li>
<li><span>Doesn’t do all-nighters ever</span></li>
<li><span>Probably roommates with Asra, for better or worse</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portia</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Studying horticulture</span></li>
<li><span>Coffee and tea are interchangeable, but coffee is often taken in the form of sugary drinks</span></li>
<li><span>Has a Pepi and everyone loves her</span></li>
<li><span>Spends free time baking treats!</span></li>
<li><span>All-nighters before exams aren’t unheard of</span></li>
<li><span>Friends with everyone, somehow</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucio</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>No one knows what he’s studying, only that he got there on a sports scholarship</span></li>
<li><span>Has a really nice car</span></li>
<li><span>Probably has had tens of first dates with other students, never any second dates</span></li>
<li><span>Claims to love coffee, can only stand it if it’s covered in sugar and cream and who knows what else</span></li>
<li><span>Tries to do all-night study sessions, always either falls asleep or is too tired the next day to actually focus</span></li>
<li><span>Has two dogs that are no longer allowed on campus</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valerius</span>
</p><ul>
<li><span>Law school student</span></li>
<li><span>Kind of like Nadia; impeccable time management, no all nighters, doesn’t need coffee to function</span></li>
<li><span>Has a tendency to bar crawl after exams though</span></li>
<li><span>Very concerned with his grade average, will settle for nothing less than 4.0</span></li>
<li><span>Needs a stress ball, badly</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sticking to a consistent schedule? Never heard of her.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Demonic Romance (Courtiers)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which a set of demons attempt to romance you, with varying degrees of success.</p><p>Requested by AFierySpirit.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Vlastomil</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>There is absolutely NO subtlety. None at all.</span></li>
<li><span>Frequent invites to his manor. Full tours every. Single. Time. A worm named in your honor. Flowers, because he heard the Countess mention that people like flowers.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He even tried to set up a romantic dinner one night! To his credit, it wasn’t a </span><em><span>complete</span></em><span> disaster. It just wasn’t great, either. He’s gotten better.</span>
</li>
<li><span>Something about his over-the-top, but genuine efforts is remarkably endearing.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vulgora</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Vulgora and romance...don’t really mix well. But they like you, so they’ll try.</span></li>
<li><span>This typically amounts to them offering to fight anyone who even mildly insults you. To preserve your honor.</span></li>
<li><span>“They didn’t complement your new outfit! That’s punch-worthy!” “No, it’s not…”</span></li>
<li><span>They also don’t exactly take advice well… So anyone trying to advise them on romance is quickly shouted into submission.</span></li>
<li><span>One day though, they actually did fight a diplomat that snubbed you. It was kinda cute… Especially when they seemed proud of themselves.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Volta</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Volta likes you a lot, and she’s very determined to show it!</span></li>
<li><span>She’s glued to your side a lot of the time, honestly. She’s pretty cuddly. And she has this tendency to profess her love with surprising boldness. And then she gets all flustered.</span></li>
<li><span>She also cooks for you. Lots. She invites you over often and makes all your favorite foods. It’s adorable.</span></li>
<li><span>Candlelit dinners? Multiple? In a row? On the same night? Weekly occurrences, at least.</span></li>
</ul><p> </p><p>
  <span>Valdemar</span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Initially, Valdemar had little interest in you. Then you seemed to be the cure for their lack of oxytocin. How fascinating. They had to make an effort.</span></li>
<li><span>They researched things that mortals find “romantic”. There was something about hearts. Unfortunately, they… misunderstood.</span></li>
<li><span>You never asked if the heart they gave you was a human one.</span></li>
</ul>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the major delay! I keep forgetting to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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